Like Brother, Unlike Sister
by Moonfur ADV
Summary: Mayumi Uchiha is a young Kunoichi who doesn't remember much of her past. She joins the Ninja Academy with hopes of finding out more about her blurry past. Note: I know this seems like a very Cliche'd story but I promise that I'll do my best to keep it fun to read. This OC is not a Mary-Sue. There may be pairings later on. I may twist the original plot a little but not too much.
1. Prologue

**Prologue**

A young, black-haired girl with beetle-black eyes scampered happily into the room, a playful smile adorning her face. Her loose, low ponytail was tied with an equally loose, white ribbon at the base of her neck. She came to stand next to a boy with black hair and black eyes. He was the same age as her, only older by a few minutes. The two of them stood in the doorway, facing their older brother. He also had black hair, though his was tied in a low ponytail too.

"Big brother, do you think you could help me out with my shuriken jutsu after school today?" The younger boy asked hopefully. "No I can't, I'm busy. Why don't you go ask father to help you?" Was the older boys reply. The little girl wasn't exactly surprised to hear this, after all, their big brother did that all the time to both of them. Since he had turned around to answer her brother's question, the little girl noted that he looked very old and weary with those two lines on his face. Snapping her attention back to the conversation, she continued to listen in silence.

"Oh come on, you're better at the shuriken jutsu than father is. I mean, even I can see that." The young girl nodded in agreement, trying to back her brother up.

"Big brother… why do you always treat me like such a pest?" He sounded so sad, it was more like a statement than a question. At this, their older brother turned around fully and motioned for his little brother to go over to him. Surprised, the little boy hesitated a little before complying. The older of the two raised his hand and poked the younger one in-between the eyebrows with his index and middle finger. "I'm sorry, Sasuke. Some other time, Ok?" Sasuke grumbled in response. His sister sighed quietly. _'That's what he always says!'_

The whole room suddenly descended into a horrible quiet. She saw a strange expression flit through her older brother's eyes. Before she could even begin to wonder what it was, it disappeared. He then stood and told them, "I don't have time for this today."

"You're always doing this to us, you jab us in the forehead and then say 'I'm sorry'. And you never have time, it's always the same story." The little girl nodded, agreeing completely with her brother's statement. The eldest just walked outside without a single word or glance back and then closed the door behind him.

The two of them sighed in unison and made their way to the kitchen for some breakfast. "Father, how come… how come big brother never pays any attention to us?" The young girl looked up at this, curious to hear her father's answer. "Your brother's always been a little strange. He has a hard time dropping his guard around other people, letting them in."

"What do you mean?" Sasuke asked, confused.

"I don't know," their father sighed. "Even I can't read him, and I'm the boy's father… that kid…" Before they could prompt him to tell them more, their mum turned around, holding up their lunch-bags. "Okay, here are your lunches, Sasuke and Mayumi. And as for your shuriken practice, I can help you work on it when you get home, if you want, Sasuke." She offered cheerily. "It's not just practice, it's actual training," was Sasuke's reply as the two took their lunches and and walked outside.

"See ya later!" They both shouted as they began their walk. "Good morning Sasuke and Mayumi, heading off to school now, are you?" The old woman said as it wasn't really a question, but they answered anyway. "Uh-huh," They replied, turning to face her.

"I saw your brother earlier, he's grown into such a man. He's an excellent Shinobi, isn't he? Graduating the academy at the age of seven and first in his class, and he was a chunin at ten, wasn't he?" Mayumi mentally rolled her eyes, was this woman on purposely trying to make them feel minor to their brother? "Yeah, and he could use Sharingan by the time he was eight," was Sasuke's reply. Mayumi remained silent, unsure of what to say.

"That's right, how could I forget? That boy is the pride of the Uchiha Clan, no doubt about it. What about you Sasuke, how old are you now?" At this, Sasuke looked a little put out so Mayumi placed a hand on his shoulder in what she thought was a comforting way. "What's the matter, child?" The old woman asked. Mayumi was becoming seriously annoyed at her by this point. How could she say those things in front of them and then be surprised that they felt bad? "Honey, stop talking nonsense to the boy will ya?" A man walked up behind the woman, asking her to stop. "What do you mean, dear?" The man simply walked forward to face Sasuke.

"You, Itachi and Mayumi are part of the Uchiha Clan, the brightest gem of the Hidden Leaf Village. Have faith in yourself, someday you'll be an outstanding Shinobi, just like Itachi." Mayumi growled inwardly, _'Stop with the Itachi references already!'_

Saying their goodbyes, the two siblings continued their walk to school. Eventually, they arrived and hurried into the first class. The class began only moments later, once everyone was ready. After their indoors class, they went outside for shuriken training.

The lessons progressed in pretty much the same way, until they were walking home and the two remembered that they had forgotten something. "Gah! I left my book back at school!" Mayumi began to run back to school to retrieve it.

"Wait up! I think I left mine back there too!" Sasuke and Mayumi ran back to the school as quickly as they could, knowing full well the consequences of getting home late. The two ran into the class and spent a while trying to locate the missing books. Eventually though, they found them, stuffed them into their school bags and ran back out. "We are gonna be so late!" Mayumi stated the obvious loudly as the two sprinted back.

Before Sasuke could say anything back, he spotted something up on one of the roofs. But the second he had blinked, it was gone. "Huh? Did you see that?" He asked his sister as the two stopped running.

"See what?"

"I swear I saw something there…"

"I'll go check it out if you want," Sasuke shook his head at his sister's offer and the two resumed their sprinting. Not having actually seen what Sasuke had pointed out, Mayumi had felt it. A sort of ominous presence that set her on edge. "Erm… Actually, if you don't mind, I'll go check it out." Sasuke could tell that something had unnerved his sister.

"Yeah, sure," She smiled gratefully at him and leapt up onto the roof to pursue whatever it was that was there. As soon as she was out of his line of sight, Sasuke turned his attention back to getting back home.

As he looked around, he saw that all the lights were off. 'It's too early for everyone to be in bed,' his heart began to quicken as he sensed that there was something wrong. Turning a corner, he saw that the signs and lanterns that were on the walls had been cut and that some kunai knives and shurikens were embedded in the wall. There was blood on the floor and bodies lay strewn about the ground. Bodies of his clan-mates lay everywhere, immobile and cold. "W… what is going on?" He whimpered, panic beginning to consume him.

Sprinting as fast as he was able to, he noticed the bodies of the old man and woman that had greeted them this morning lying dead on the floor . He made his way to where he lived, an overwhelming sense of dread clouding his mind. "Father, mother!" Opening the door to the house, he saw it shrouded in darkness. Everything, was silent. He heard a sudden 'thump' come from their room and he raced towards it. With trembling, shaking hands, he pushed the door open. Laying there, in the spotlight of a window, were his parent's bodies, coated in blood. The picture of their lifeless forms burned into Sasuke's mind, bound to stay there for the rest of his life.

"Father! Mother!" He shouted and ran into the room, the door closing behind him. A figure stepped forward, encased almost fully in the shadows of the room. The figure stepped forward even closer and Sasuke stepped back, terror fuelling the beating of his heart. The figure's head turned to face him, the shadows being swept off of it. Temporary relief came over him as he recognised the figure. "Big brother! Itachi! Father and mother are both… I don't… understand, who could do all this?!" A shuriken flew past his head and buried itself into the wall.

A small cut appeared on his shoulder where the weapon's blade had scratched it. "Wait a sec, what are you…?!" His brother gazed at him with his Sharingan, an empty, emotionless look on his face. Sasuke stared at his brother, his eyes wide with horror and a hand clutching his injured shoulder.

Meanwhile, Mayumi had scoured the rooftops and found nothing. Feeling that something was wrong, she turned back and began sprinting back home. The whistle she had around her neck, the one that once belonged to her mother, was pulsing violently. Something was definitely wrong. Bringing the plain, silver whistle to her lips, she blew, a single, clear ring emanated from it. Moments later, a flock of birds emerged from the distance and flew around her. "Go ahead and check on Sasuke and the others, please!" She asked them in-between breaths. The birds chirped in reply and sped off. Sighing in slight relief, she focused on getting home as quickly as she could.

Back at the house, Sasuke and Itachi's gazes were still locked. One filled with pure terror and fear, the other hollow and meaningless. "Oh-no, what have you done?!" Sasuke knew very well what he had done, but his mind was too full of fear for him to fully focus on what he was saying. "Foolish little brother, I almost pity you." After saying this, Itachi then closed his eyes. He then opened them again, slowly, petrifying Sasuke into staying still. "Mangekyo Sharingan." Upon saying that, he opened his eyes wide, transporting himself and Sasuke into the clan's home, moments before he slaughtered them all.

Sasuke couldn't move his legs, he was trapped. He saw his fellow clan-mates, falling dead around him. More and more bodies fell, littering the ground around him. Shurikens rained down on them. He couldn't take it anymore and screamed. It wasn't any old scream, it was a scream of intense anguish, watching those dear to him fall around him without being able to do anything. Clutching his head in agony, he pleaded for his brother to stop.

There, in the midst of all of the falling bodies, was Itachi. The few remaining survivors charged at Itachi, trying to stop him, only to be repelled with such force that they died. More and more people fell, again and again, right before Sasuke's eyes. He then saw his brother strike down his parents with a single swipe of his cruel blade.

With one last, agonised scream, Sasuke fell to his knees, clutching his head. The Sharingan faded from Itachi's eyes as he regarded his brother with an unreadable expression. Sasuke collapsed completely and lay panting on the ground, his eyes glazed over. At this point, a flock of birds flew into the room, blasting the door open with the force of their impact. Right behind them was Mayumi, who crouched down next to her fallen brother and surveyed the scene. Understanding dawned upon her as a bird fluttered down onto her shoulder and chirped something into her ear. She looked up to glare at her older brother, her black eyes flashing menacingly. "Why…? Why did you do this? Itachi why?!" Sasuke needed answers, his brother had to have a reason for this!

"To test the limits of my ability." Was his flat, emotionless reply.

"To test your ability? That's why you did this? You're telling me that that was the reason that you butchered every single member of our clan?" Sasuke's voice was coated with incredulousness. "It is of great importance," Itachi's reply caused a growl to rumble out of Mayumi's mouth. Sasuke struggled to stand, his limbs trembling with the effort. "What are you saying?" Sasuke said before leaping up and charging at Itachi. "You're out of your mind!" He shouted at his older brother. Itachi slammed a gauntlet-clad fist into his younger brother's gut emotionlessly. Sasuke fell to the ground. This angered Mayumi beyond restrainable limits, resulting in her charging too. She was met with the same response and she fell beside her brother.

Sasuke looked up into his dad's dead face, waves of terror smashing and crashing against him. Tears filled his eyes as his brother stepped forward, his foot right in front of his face. Sasuke struggled to stand and then he ran outside, fear overwhelming him as he sprinted as fast as he could, just to get away from that monster he once called a brother. Mayumi struggled up too, but she wasn't as lucky and Itachi slammed her into the wall. "I have no use for you, you may as well die too." With that, Itachi exited the room.

Sasuke ran through the streets as fast as he could, tears streaming down his face. He came to a stop as he realised that Itachi was standing there in front of him. "Please, don't kill me," Sasuke begged.

"You're not even worth killing. Foolish little brother, if you wish to kill me one day, foster your hatred and despise me. Surviving in such an unsightly manner as this, by all means flee, cling to your wretched life." With that, he said a few more things to Sasuke, who tried attacking again. Knocking his younger brother out, Itachi then disappeared, leaving Sasuke on the ground, unconscious.

Mayumi opened her eyes with difficulty, trying to remember what happened. Everything was remembered and she got up and sprinted outside. Her breath was caught in her throat when she saw her brother laying on the ground. She heard his faint breathing and saw the slight rise and fall of his chest. Slinging his arm around her neck, she gingerly helped his unconscious form up and began to limp slowly towards the hospital building.

Upon arriving, she was met by the staff members who worked the late hours. All of their questions entered her mind as a jumbled mess. Unable to see properly, she felt her blurry vision go even hazier. "My brother, he's hurt… help him, please!" That was all she managed to get out before she collapsed completely, her mind engulfed by the same darkness as her brother's.


	2. Chapter 1

**The Squads Are Formed and The Ninja Survival Test Begins**

A lot had passed since that fateful day. Mayumi and Sasuke were both cared for at the hospital, both making a full physical recovery. Sasuke however, stopped being the happy child he once was, now he was very quiet and kept to himself, always seen on his own. He was told that sister had died, but in fact he was only told that so that the two siblings would be safer. Mayumi fortunately, didn't have to be told this lie, but only to the unfortunate fact that she could hardly remember anything. The only things she could remember were lifeless bodies laying on the ground and waking up in the hospital. When she had asked who the bodies belonged to, the hospital staff brushed off the question or ignored it. Either way, she never found out. They then decided to let her join the ninja academy, seeing as she was from a clan of ninjas. She had graduated the exams and was now on her way to her first class as a Kunoichi-in-training.

Naruto sat in his seat, an impatient expression on his face as he waited for classes to start. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the door swing open. A girl wearing a medium-length white, loose kimono walked in. She was wearing the typical ninja shoes and she had a whistle around her neck. She had long black hair tied loosely with a white ribbon at the base of her neck. A shuriken and kunai pouch was strapped around her right leg, indicating that she was right-handed. Her beetle-black eyes drifted across the room in a calculating manner before she took a seat beside a blue-haired girl with light, pearly-purple eyes. She smiled a greeting at the girl, who smiled back shyly.

Leaning back in her seat, the girl waited silently for the lessons to start. A minute or two later, the door burst open violently, revealing two girls. One had long pink hair and forest green eyes while the other had long blonde hair tied back in a high ponytail and flashing blue eyes. The two both shouted "I'm first!" Before slouching slightly, panting from the running they had done to get here. Somewhat intrigued, the girl in the white kimono leaned forward to observe the scene.

"I won again, Sakura," the blonde said, facing her companion with a tired smirk.

"Give it up, I had to look back to see you. My toe was at least a tenth of an inch ahead!" Was the pinkette's reply.

"Have you always been this delusional?" The blonde replied. Murmurs started to travel around the classroom as almost everyone flashed awkward glances at the pair. The one called Sakura ran off towards the table that Naruto sat at. The blonde girl called after her, "Hey, where are you going?" Sakura didn't reply and continued to hurry over to the table. Naruto greeted her, only to be completely ignored and pushed off his chair.

Sakura looked over at the boy with black hair and black eyes, who wore blue and white clothing. He didn't even spare her a glance and continued to stare right ahead at nothing in particular. "Um… Good morning, Sasuke," Upon hearing the boy's name, the girl in the white kimono felt a spark flash through her head, but it disappeared before she could identify what it meant. Sasuke gave Sakura a plain, empty look. "Mind if I sit next to you?" She asked hopefully.

The blonde girl marched over and grabbed Sakura's arm. "Back off, Forehead! I'm sitting next to Sasuke!" The Kunoichi in the white kimono turned to the girl next to her as the two girls began to argue. "So… what's your name?" The bluenette looked startled but managed to stutter out an answer. "H…H… Hinata Hyuga"

"Well nice to meet you, Hinata. My name's Mayumi," Mayumi smiled at Hinata, who gave her a small smile in return.

Turning back to look around the classroom, Mayumi saw that almost all of the girls in the class were arguing. Raising an eyebrow, she managed to catch bits of what they were saying. "No, I'm sitting next to Sasuke!" Amused, she decided to observe the scene a little longer. She saw Naruto jump up onto Sasuke's desk and glare down at him. He looked back, a hint of a glare in his eyes. Sakura and the other girls were all giving him death glares. "Naruto, hey stop glaring at Sasuke!" Naruto looked at Sakura, a somewhat hurt expression on his face. He turned back to Sasuke, giving him a calculating stare. Mayumi did the same, there was something about the boy that sent that spark through her mind. What was it and who is he?

The two continued to glare at each other while the girls shouted at Naruto. That was when the person sitting behind Naruto leaned back slightly, pushing Naruto forwards by accident. Everyone in the class turned their heads to see what was going on. Mayumi almost fell off of her chair, _'that guy pushed Naruto into Sasuke so that… Ack!'_ She couldn't even say it in her head!

The group of girls stared at the scene before them as if it was an exceptionally difficult algebra problem. They were stunned into silence before Sasuke and Naruto turned away from each other, spitting and gagging. Both of them were clutching their throats and coughing as hard as they could. Turning his head, Naruto saw that the girls who were arguing were all sending him violent looks. "Naruto… you are so dead!" Sakura said, her teeth gritted and her voice strained. "Hey, wow, it was an accident!" He held up his hands, trying to get his point across, though it fell into deaf ears. Sakura cracked her knuckles and sent him a look that would have made a grown man cringe.

"You're finished!" He really didn't need telling, he could already see that this was going to be painful by the glint in her eyes. "Hold on," He made a last, futile attempt to prevent her from unleashing her fury on him.

"As of today you are all ninjas. To get here you've faced difficult trials and hardships. But that's nothing, what comes next will be far more difficult. Now you are only Genin, first level ninjas. All the Genin will be grouped into three-man squads. Each squad will be led by a Jonin, an elite ninja." Their teacher explained to them. Everyone, including Naruto, who was covered in so many lumps and bruises, began to murmur when they heard about the squads. Sakura and her 'rival' began to argue, while Sasuke just looked bored. Naruto started to think about who he would like in his group. Mayumi was eager to hear what group she would be in.

"We want each squad to have a balance of strength and abilities, so that's how we set them up. I will now announce the squads. Squad Seven, Naruto Uzumaki, Sakura Haruno and Sasuke Uchiha." Hearing Sasuke's surname triggered yet another flash in Mayumi's brain. She shook her head, she would have time to think about this later.

"Next, Squad Eight, Hinata Hyuga, Kiba Inuzuka, Shino Aburame" Sakura turned around to smirk triumphantly at the disgruntled blonde. The boy next to her decided to speak up. "I don't get it, what do you see in a guy like that? He's not so special," the blonde girl replied, annoyed by his statement.

"You are so beyond clueless, Shikamaru. Don't you get it?"

"No, I don't get it, 'cause I'm not a girl." Shikamaru replied, giving her a very plain, bored look. The girl sighed and then spoke, "you are so full of yourself, jealousy's a terrible thing, I'd hate to be on your squad." She smirked again and looked away.

"Now Squad Ten, Ino Yamanaka, Shikamaru Nara and Choji Akimichi." Ino put her head in her hands. "Heh, did you say something about hating to be on my squad?" Her reply was a growl.

"Those are all the squads… oh, erm, one second," The teacher began to shuffle the papers he had in his hands. "Oh, it seems we have one person left over…" Everyone looked surprised as he continued to mumble to himself. "I'm sure Kakashi could manage an extra pupil…" He muttered under his breath. "Yeah, that should work!" Their teacher said loudly. "Ok, Mayumi, you will be assigned to Squad Seven, but you may be moved if the Jonin in charge of that group is unable to handle an extra pupil." Mayumi nodded in response, not really minding. Sasuke looked over at Mayumi, that was also the name of his dead sister. She bore a faint resemblance to her as well, a thread of sadness weaved through him before he could stop it.

"Iruka Sensei, why does a great ninja like me have to be have to be in the same group with a slug like Sasuke?!" This incurred Sakura's wrath. She glared at Naruto ferociously while Sasuke seemed completely unperturbed by his squad-mate's comment. Iruka looked up, surprised. "Sasuke had the best scores of all the graduating students. Naruto, you had the worst scores." The whole room erupted into fits of laughter. Trying to hold back a laugh, Mayumi even felt a little bad for him. "To create a balanced group, we put the best student with the worst student." Naruto growled in response, angered by Iruka's explanation.

"Just make sure you don't get in my way, loser." It sounded like a command, as Sasuke said it without even glancing at Naruto. Mayumi winced inwardly. 'Harsh.' Naruto snarled at Sasuke, infuriated by the latter's arrogance. "Hey, what did you say?!"

"Hard of hearing?" The class laughed at Sasuke's sarcastic response.

"Knock it off, Naruto! Sit down!" Sakura ordered. Iruka Sensei cleared his throat loudly, warning them to stop. "After lunch, you'll meet you new Jonin teachers. Until then, class dismissed." The students all filed out of the classroom, intent on getting some lunch.

Not having much to do, Mayumi simply walked outside and leapt up onto a rooftop. She sat there surveying her surroundings. There wasn't much of interest to see, so she lay down, gazing up at the clouds. She wrapped her hand around the whistle, she wasn't too sure of what it did, but it felt familiar. Her gut was telling her to keep it, for it could come in handy. For what, though, she had no idea. Sighing, she closed her eyes and stayed there for a few minutes, enjoying the sun on her face. A grumbling sound from her stomach alerted her of her need for something to eat. Getting up, she jumped down onto the streets and walked around, hoping to find an aliment of some kind before the end of lunch.

In the end, she settled for an apple and ate it on her way back. Once she had entered the class, she saw Sasuke sitting down, looking as emotionless as ever, Sakura getting up from her seat and Naruto walking up to the door with what looked like an eraser. Once she was inside the room, she saw Naruto place the eraser in the gap between the door and the wall. _'A prank? This could be fun,'_ Mayumi thought as she watched Sakura march up to him and tell him to stop. "Our teacher's a Jonin, an elite ninja, do you think he'd fall for that?" Sasuke's point made sense, they had to admit that. "Yeah, Sasuke's right. You're so clueless, Naruto," Sakura added. Before any of them could say anything else, the door was pushed open and the eraser fell and hit the head of the Jonin that walked in. He was wearing the standard Jonin uniform and he had white hair. His ninja headband covered his right eye.

Everyone stood perfectly still, an ominous silence filled the room. Naruto burst out laughing, pointing a finger at the white-haired Jonin. "I got him, he totally fell for it!" He continued laughing.

"I'm sorry Sensei, I told him not to do it but he wouldn't listen. I'd never do anything like that!" Sakura said quite truthfully, though it sounded a little exaggerated. Sasuke looked somewhat scornful, 'is this guy really a Jonin?' He thought to himself as said Jonin picked up the board rubber and set it aside. Mayumi remained silent, insure of what to say. Instead of saying anything, she put on a friendly expression. "Hmm, how can I put this? My first impression of this group… you're a bunch of idiots." The man deadpanned. All of them wore a pretty similar, put-down expression, he looked pretty care-free for a Jonin.

A few minutes later, they all stood in a comfortable area. It was like a park of some kind, though they were sitting on some steps. "Alright, why don't you introduce yourselves, one at a time." Their new Sensei suggested.

Sakura asked the question that they were all thinking, "Introduce ourselves? Well, what are we supposed to say?"

"Things you like, things you hate, dreams for the future, hobbies, things like that," Their Sensei crossed his arms expectantly, waiting for them to speak.

"Why don't you tell us stuff first? I mean, before we talk, tell us about you so we see how it's supposed to work." Naruto suggested. After all, it was only fair that he did it too."Me? I'm Kakashi Hatake. Things I like and things I hate… hmm, I don't feel like telling you that. My dreams for the future, never really thought about it. As for my hobbies, I have lots of hobbies."

"That was totally useless, all he really told us was his name." Sakura whispered. Naruto, Mayumi and Sasuke nodded in agreement. "Ok, your turn. You on the right, you first." It was Naruto's turn to introduce himself first. He fiddled with his headband as he spoke. "Believe it, I'm Naruto Uzumaki. I like instant ramen in a cup and I really like the ramen Iruka Sensei got me at the Ichiraku noodle shop. But I hate the three minute you have to wait after you pour the water in the ramen cup. My hobby is eating different kinds of ramen and comparing them. And my future dream is, to be the greatest Hokage; then the whole village will stop disrespecting me and start treating me like I'm somebody, somebody important!" Kakashi's visible eye widened a little before sinking back into its normal size.

"Alright, next." Kakashi said in a somewhat weary manner.

"I'm Sakura Haruno. What I like… er, I mean the person I like is…" At this she looked over at Sasuke who looked blatantly bored. "Er… my hobby is… er," she giggled quietly. "My dream for the future is…" She covered her mouth and made a restrained squealing sound. "And… what do you hate?" Kakashi asked, exasperated. "Naruto!" Sakura said loudly. _'Ouch'_ Mayumi thought this a little too harsh but kept quiet.

"Ok, next." Kakashi drawled, referring to Mayumi.

"Um, my name is Mayumi and-" She was interrupted by their Sensei.

"You have to tell us your first name and surname."

"Uh, right. My name is Mayumi… hmm…" They all looked at her curiously. Mayumi's brain began whirring into action, trying to come up with some kind of excuse. "I… can't… remember?" That was her eventual answer. Kakashi sighed in response, "continue." Mayumi nodded and then restarted from where she left off. "I like birds and nature and I hate… I don't know. I feel hate towards something but I can't remember what. My dream for the future is… I think I had one but I also can't remember. My hobbies are, being around nature and birds, I also enjoy training." Once she had finished, they were all looking at her with strange expressions on their faces. "Wow… you can't remember much…" Naruto commented. Mayumi laughed sheepishly and scratched the back of her head.

"Last one."

"My name is Sasuke Uchiha. I hate a lot of things, and I don't particularly like anything. What I have is not a dream, because I will make it a reality. I'm going to restore my clan, and destroy a certain someone," Another flash crossed through Mayumi's head, though this time it was painful. Clutching the side of her head, attempting to staunch the pain, she bit back a small yelp. As soon as it arrived, it was gone. She dropped her hand back down onto the floor and looked up to meet Kakashi's calculating stare.

"Good, you're each unique and you had your own ideas. We'll have our first mission tomorrow." Naruto visibly perked up at this and decided to prod their Sensei for a little information. "What kind of mission are we going to have?"

"It's a task that the four of us will do together." Naruto chose to prod again.

"What, what, what, what?!"

"A survival exercise."

"Huh, survival exercise?" Naruto asked, surprised. Hadn't they already had enough practice? "I thought we were supposed to have a real mission, not more practice! We already did this stuff at the academy, that's how we got here!" Sakura voiced everyone's thoughts again. Mayumi expressed her agreement by nodding. "This is not like your previous training,"

"So, uh, what kind of training is it then?" At this, Kakashi began to chuckle. It wasn't a friendly chuckle, it was more of a sinister one. He sounded like he knew something they didn't and it unnerved them greatly. "Hey, hold on. That's a normal question, what's so funny?" Sakura sounded disconcerted.

"Well, if I tell you the answer, you're not going to like it," Said Kakashi in an almost sing-song voice. Now, they were all sure they weren't going to like it. "Of the twenty-seven graduates who just came here, only nine will actually be accepted as Genin. The other eighteen will be weeded out and sent back to the academy. In other words, this is a make-it or break-it pass-fail test. And the chances that you'll fail is at least sixty-six percent." Mayumi, Naruto and Sakura openly gaped at this statement while Sasuke looked somewhat defeated.

"See? Didn't I tell you you wouldn't like it?" He was right, they didn't.

"That's crazy! We were taught to get here, believe it! What was that graduation test for anyway?!" Naruto was seriously annoyed by this, since he found the exams very difficult. "Oh that, that was just to select candidates who might become Genin, or not."

"Whaaaat?!" Naruto was incredulous. 'Poor guy…' Mayumi felt sorry for all of her squad-mates, even a little for herself. 'So we might not become ninja after all?' "That's how it is, I decide whether you pass or fail. Be at the designated training spot at 5am, and bring your ninja gear." Mayumi saw Naruto grit his teeth, Sakura clench her fists and Sasuke go tense. She herself settled on clenching her fists too, stress hanging heavily in the air.

"That's it, you're dismissed. Oh, tomorrow you'd better skip breakfast or else, you'll puke." All of them stared at him, wide-eyed. Was he serious? It looked like it…

The next morning, the four of them all arrived at a clearing in the middle of the forest. All of their stomachs were growling and snarling ferociously. They were all yawning widely, minus Sasuke. They began to wait for Kakashi to show up. In the meantime, the sun rose and Naruto sat on the floor. The sun rose even higher and he was joined by Sakura and Mayumi. Only Sasuke remained standing and Mayumi was willing to bet that he was about to drop.

"Morning everyone, ready for your first day?" Kakashi seemed to pop out of nowhere. "Hey! You're late!" Sakura and Naruto yelled while Sasuke just glared and Mayumi merely frowned. "Well, a black cat crossed my path so I had to take the long way," they all grumbled in response, that was a terrible excuse!

"Well, let's get started," their Sensei then proceeded to set down an alarm clock on a tree stump. "Here we go, it's set for noon." He pressed down the button in the middle of the clock. The rest of the squad all gave him blank, confused stares. "Your assignment is very simple, you just have to take these bells from me. That's all there is to it." Kakashi told them as he held up three bells and gave them a small shake.

"If you can't get them by noon, you go without lunch. You'll be tied to those posts and you'll watch while I eat my lunch in front of you." He said while pointing at four wooden posts that stood in a row. Realisation hit them as their stomachs began to rumble loudly. 'So that's why he told us to skip breakfast!' Mayumi realised. By the expressions on her squad-mate's faces, she could tell that they had realised too.

"Wait a minute, there's four of us. How come there's only three bells?" Upon hearing Sakura's question, Kakashi's eye closed as he smiled at them. "Well that way, at leads one of you will end up tied to a post and ultimately disqualified for failing to complete the mission. That one goes back to the academy. Then again, all four of you could flunk out too. You can use any weapons, including shuriken. If you're not prepared to kill me, you won't be able to take the bells." After saying this, he bounced the bells up into his hand and closed it around them to emphasise the point.

"Those weapons are too dangerous, Sensei!" Sakura exclaimed, worried at the prospect of using weapons such as those. Naruto burst out laughing, his arms behind his head. "Especially since you couldn't even dodge that eraser!"

"Class clowns are usually the weakest links, you can safely ignore them. Lowest scores, losers." This statement seemed to anger Naruto. "When I say 'start', you can begin."

Naruto's anger was now well above boiling point. Quick as a flash, he extracted a kunai knife from his pocket and charged at Kakashi, wielding it with a killing intent. Quicker that sight was allowed to capture, Kakashi grabbed Naruto's hand and now stood behind him. One hand on Naruto's head and the other holding the hand with the kunai and pointing it at the back of his pupil's head.

"Don't be in such a hurry, I didn't say 'start' yet." The rest of the squad stood staring at their Sensei with awe. Naruto growled, unable to free himself from Kakashi's vice-like grip. He let him go and began to speak, "but, you came at me with the full intention of destroying me, so," he chuckled. "How can I say this? I'm actually starting to like you guys." He then adopted a more serious tone, "get ready, and… start!" His students leapt up and out of sight with blinding speed.


	3. Chapter 2

**The Ninja Survival Test and A Real Mission At Last**

Kakashi stood in a clearing, facing the forest with a river behind him. He waited for one of his students to make the first move. Sasuke was hidden in the midst of branches in a a tree while Sakura hid underneath a bush. Mayumi hid high up in another tree while Naruto faced their Sensei, not even making an effort to conceal himself.

"You and me, right now, fair and square, let's go!" Naruto yelled to a somewhat surprised Kakashi. "You know, compared to the others you're a little bit weird," their Sensei told him. "Oh yeah? The only thing weird here is your haircut!" _'Good point, Naruto.'_ Mayumi thought from high up in her chosen treetop.

Naruto charged at Kakashi at full speed, now just an orange blur in their eyes. Kakashi surreptitiously slipped a hand into his weapon's pouch, causing Naruto to stop charging and send him an analysing glare. "Shinobi battle techniques part one, Taijutsu, the physical art," he then began to draw his hand back out of the pouch. Naruto's brain began working furiously as he wondered why his Sensei reaching for a weapon when it was physical combat. In one swift movement, Kakashi drew a slightly small, orange book from the pouch and held it open in front of him. "What the-?" Naruto asked, bewildered by Kakashi's actions. "Well, what are you waiting for? Make your move."

Even more confused, Naruto asked, "But… I mean, why are you reading that book?" Naruto demanded. He was supposed to be fighting him, not reading! "Why? To find out what happens story, of course. Don't let it bother you. With your weak attacks it doesn't really matter if I'm reading or… whatever," Naruto snarled upon hearing Kakashi's response. "I'm going to crush you!" He shouted as he ran full-pelt at his Sensei. He leaped up and went to punch him, only to have Kakashi's hand stop him. Naruto then twisted around and aimed a kick at his Sensei, who effortlessly dodged it without even looking up from his book. Again, another punch was aimed, but where Naruto expected there to be something to hit, was nothing instead. "Huh?" He asked, unable to see his Sensei with his current radius of vision.

"Don't let your enemy get behind you all the time," It was then that the ninjas hiding in the greenery saw it, a hand sign. Kakashi was forming the tiger hand sign, a sign that is usually connected to the use of fire jutsus. Mayumi felt pleased for a split second that she had managed to remember that from her classes and then returned her attention to the ongoing battle below her.

"Naruto! Get out of there quick! He's going to destroy you!" Sakura called out, gaining Naruto's attention and blowing her cover simultaneously. "Too late," Kakashi said calmly from behind him.

"Leaf Village Secret Finger Jutsu!" Kakashi called out the name of the supposed 'jutsu' and nailed Naruto with it. Mayumi barely suppressed a laugh as she saw where the 'blow' landed. "A Thousand Years of Death!" Kakashi yelled before he sent Naruto flying. Naruto managed to go so far that he actually landed in the river, a loud splash indicating his fall.

"Ok, where was I?" Kakashi said to himself as he resumed the reading of his book. Suddenly, two shuriken burst out of the water, whizzing towards Kakashi. Mayumi's eyes widened as she saw Kakashi catch both of them without raising his gaze from his book.

Naruto dragged himself out of the river in a slightly shaky manner. "What are you doing now?" Kakashi asked wearily, "You know, you won't get lunch unless you take a bell by noon." He informed his student, who glared up at him before shouting back defiantly, "I know, I know, you told us already!" Kakashi just sent him a plain, bored expression. "You look pretty wobbly for someone who's going to surpass the Hokage," Kakashi informed his pupil. In response, Naruto's stomach rumbled loudly, reminding his owner that he needed food.

"You told us not to eat breakfast! How can I fight when I'm starving to death?!" Naruto yelled back. The three ninjas who remained hiding all felt their stomachs growl loudly too. _'He's right… I'm so hungry!'_ Mayumi groaned mentally. "So you caught me off guard, that's all it was, believe it! I'm… so hungry I don't have any strength. But I can't let that stop me, I've got to get one of those bells no matter what! I'll find the strength somehow, believe it. I'm gonna pass this test and I'm not going back to the academy!" The water in the river behind him began to ripple and then splash around violently as six clones of Naruto leapt out. Naruto joined the clones and the seven Narutos charged at Kakashi.

_'Wow! They are solid clones, not just imitations!'_ Mayumi's eyes widened as she realised. "You're overconfident, Sensei! That's why you weren't ready for a shadow clone attack, my best jutsu!" Naruto told his Sensei as he and his clones charged at Kakashi. "It looks like the stories are true, he can create shadow clones. It's a forbidden skill and he defeated Mizuki with it." Kakashi murmured to himself as he raised his gaze from his book to let it rest on the Narutos in front of him.

"Great technique, but I don't think you can maintain it for very long. You talk like you're the best, Naruto. But you're still the worst student. You can't beat me with this jutsu." Kakashi informed his pupil as Naruto charged at him. An eighth Naruto jumped up and grabbed Kakashi from behind, causing the bells to jingle slightly. "What? He got me from behind!" Kakashi exclaimed, startled. Mayumi's eyes widened, again, Naruto really was full of surprises.

"Didn't you say 'don't let your enemies get behind you'? Good advice, Sensei, believe it. I had one of my clones come out of the river, then sneak up behind you super quietly." Naruto explained to his Sensei triumphantly as the clones piled onto him, rendering him immobile.

"Now this is for nailing me in the butt earlier!" Naruto lunged forwards, his fist held up, poised to strike. He swung his fist forward, but instead of hitting Kakashi, he hit one of his own clones. Mayumi scanned the area from her high view-point, unable to find their mentor. The clone flew backward, reeling from the strength of the blow.

"It's you… You're Kakashi Sensei, aren't you?! You transformed into me using a jutsu!" Naruto yelled, pointing a finger at the clone. The next second, all of the clones were fighting among each other, determined to find the one that was actually Kakashi. After an exchange of blows between the clones, Naruto called back the jutsu to find himself standing alone in the clearing, covered in bruises. _'A replacement jutsu? Smart.'_ Mayumi thought to herself as she remained up in her tree in silence.

A glint of silver caught Narutos eye. He turned to face it, only to find a bell laying on the ground. "A bell?! I must have got to him with my attack! He dropped a bell!" Naruto ran over to the foot of the tree to retrieve the bell. Just as he was about to grab it, a rope was revealed snaked around his foot. It pulled him up swiftly, leaving him hanging from the tree, bouncing in protest. "Hey! Let me down! What is this?!" He shouted, unable to free himself. He carried on shouting, his squad-mates looking at the scene with disbelieving frowns on their faces. Did he really just fall for such a simple trap?

Kakashi reappeared and leaned down, grabbing the bell and sighing. "Think before you use a jutsu, or else your opponent might use it against you. Oh, and also, if the bait is obvious, don't take it." Kakashi pointed out, an amused expression on his face. Naruto growled at him, glaring furiously. "A ninja must see through deception," Kakashi looked up at his thrashing student. "I get it!" Naruto grounded out through gritted teeth. "I'm telling you this because you don't get it, you think you get it, which is not the same as actually getting it, get it?" Kakashi teased his pupil while giving the infuriated Naruto a somewhat helpful point.

Seeing this as his chance, Sasuke sent and array of shuriken and kunai at their Sensei. "Won't you ever learn?" The next second, the 'thunk' of the weapons was heard as they embedded themselves in Kakashi's side, sweeping the Jonin off his feet and sending him flying to the ground like a rag-doll.

"He just got blasted by shuriken! Are you out of your mind, Sasuke?! You went too far!" Naruto yelled at his squad-mate, panicked.

Just as Kakashi's limp form was about to hit the ground, it erupted into a cloud of smoke. It cleared after a few seconds, revealing a log with shurikens and kunai buried deeply into it. Mayumi saw the faint swish of leaves as Sasuke sprinted away as he realised that their Sensei had used a substitution jutsu. Sakura ran after him but lost sight of her squad-mate as he manoeuvred skilfully through the trees. Swiftly, Mayumi created a clone of herself and sent it off, making it look like she had run off with the others, when in fact, she remained stationary.

Moments later, a scream echoed out of the forest, alerting Mayumi. _'Sakura,'_ she thought as she gazed off into the general direction of the sound. "A ninja must see through deception, yeah, yeah. How am I supposed to do that?! Well, I'm sure not falling for any more of his traps!" Naruto exclaimed as he cut the rope around his ankles with a kunai, landing safely on the ground. "Aaaaah!" He yelled as another rope snagged his feet and pulled him back up to his previous position. "I fell for it again!" Naruto shouted, thrashing about futilely like before. Mayumi wanted to go down and help him, but she risked revealing herself to their opponent if she did so. Luckily for her, her problem was solved as her clone walked over to help Naruto.

The clone freed him with ease and Naruto scampered off, waving a 'thank-you' to the clone simultaneously. As the clone began to return to the forest, another scream resonated from it, probably from Sakura, before Kakashi appeared in front of the clone. He stood there and waited for the clone to make a move. The clone charged and aimed a kick at him, which he stopped with ease. Firing a punch at his stomach, the clone disappeared in a puff of smoke as he stopped the blow and struck its dealer.

Mayumi threw a mixture of shuriken and kunai at her Sensei to mask her landing from the tree. She then lunged forward, swinging her leg around to kick him. He parried the hit with ease, raising a brow at her. Mayumi then copied her clone's move and sent a fist flying at her Sensei. He parried her blow again and threw her back a couple of meters. Landing on her feet, Mayumi skidded backwards before forming the horse hand-sign. She then proceeded to form the tiger hand-sign and filled her lungs with air. "Great Fireball!" She then breathed out, a jet of fire spewing out of her mouth. At the end of the jet, the fire accumulated itself into a giant fireball.

"You too?" Kakashi asked, surprised, before dodging the attack. Mayumi arched an eyebrow in confusion. "What do you mean?" She asked.

"Nothing important," he replied before coming up behind her and holding a kunai up to her neck. Mayumi growled, frustrated. A loud ring resonated throughout the area, alerting the team that their time was up.

A few minutes later, the four students and their Sensei were back at the starting point. Naruto was tied to a post while Sakura, Mayumi and Sasuke were sitting on the ground, exhausted. "Uh-oh, stomachs growling, huh? That's too bad. Oh, by the way, about this exercise, well, I've decided. I won't send any of you back to the academy," Kakashi told them. Naruto's face lit up upon hearing their Sensei's words. "What? I passed? All I did was faint and fall over. Do you get points for that?" Sakura asked, bewildered. Sasuke simply 'hmphed' while Mayumi looked at Kakashi doubtfully. Naruto and Sakura began to cheer while Mayumi continued to gaze at their Sensei in an analytical manner.

"That means all four of us, I mean all four of us…!" Naruto exclaimed excitedly.

"Yes, all four of you are being dropped from the program, permanently!" Kakashi told them. Naruto and Sakura stopped cheering immediately, Sasuke glared and Mayumi bowed her head.

"Drop us from the program?! That means we can never become ninja! You said that if we couldn't take the bells, then we'd be sent back to the academy! You can't just change your mind and kick us out! Why would you do that?!" Naruto yelled while puling against the rope that tied him to the stump. "Because you don't think like ninja, you think like little kids, like brats." At this, Sasuke's eyes narrowed and he charged at Kakashi. The next second, Kakashi was sitting on Sasuke, one foot on his head, and a hand holding his arm behind his back.

"You think it's all about you," Kakashi said, before Sakura yelled,

"Let go of Sasuke, you can't step on him like he's a bug!"

"You don't know what it means to be a ninja, you think it's a game, huh? Why do you think we put on squads, did you consider that question for one moment?" He said, glowering at them with his one visible eye. "I don't know what you mean," Sakura was bewildered,as were the rest of them. "I mean, you never realised what this exercise is all about, not even close."

"What it's about?" Naruto repeated.

"Yes, that's what determines whether you pass or fail,"

"But that's… I mean, I wanted to ask you about that from the beginning," Sakura sounded subdued and a little timid. "Tch, use your head. Four people on a squad, why do you think we would do that?" Kakashi said slowly, irking Mayumi slightly, they weren't dumb! "How are we supposed to know why you picked four people?! We didn't make the rules!" Naruto shouted.

"It's so basic, teamwork!" Their Sensei said, exasperated.

"Just working together, is that what you mean?" Sakura asked, confused.

"That's what I mean. It's too late now, but if all four of you had come at me, you might have have been able to take them. Well, anyway, it's over." Mayumi sighed almost inaudibly, how had they not seen it?

"You set it up with four people, but only three bells. If we work together and got the bells, only three of us could keep them, and that could lead to group conflict and the squad would break-up!" Sakura pointed out, trying to make sense of it all.

"Exactly. I purposely pitted you against each other. I wanted to see if you could overcome that and put the squad ahead of yourselves. A Genin should have a natural feel for teamwork. But you, it never even crossed your mind. Sakura, you were obsessed about Sasuke, who was gone. While Naruto was right in front of you and you wouldn't lift a finger to help him! Naruto, you do everything on your own, everything! Mayumi, you stayed up in a tree all that time and only bothered to send a clone to do the dirty work! And you, Sasuke, thought the others were so far beneath you that they were worthless, arrogance! Ninja missions are carried out in squads. Of course you need individual skills, but teamwork is the most essential element. Every shinobi understands this. When individuals put themselves above the squad, this can lead to failure, and death. For example," he then reached into his weapons pouch and pulled out a kunai, setting it next to Sasuke's neck with lightening speed. "Sakura, kill Naruto now or Sasuke dies!"

Sakura gasped and Naruto looked from her to Sasuke with wide eyes. Despite feeling somewhat left out, Mayumi was glad that Kakashi wasn't including her in this particular example. "That's what happens on a mission," Kakashi explained, putting away the kunai. "Oh boy, that was really scary," Sakura sighed in relief.

"The enemy takes a hostage and you've got an impossible choice, and someone ends up dead. On every mission, your life is on the line," Kakashi explained as he released Sasuke and made his way over to a shiny, dark stone with what looked like names engraved on it. "Did you look at this stone, the names engraved on it? They are all ninja who are honoured as heroes in our village," His voice seemed to have dropped into a sad tone. "That's it, that's it, that's it! Now I know! I've decided I'm going to have my name engraved on that stone! I'm not gonna live and die for nothing like a dog, I'm gonna be a hero, a hero!" Naruto declared loudly.

"They are, a special kind of hero," Kakashi still sounded sad and his eyes were a little clouded over, as if he was in deep though or remembering something. "Huh? What kind of heroes are they? C'mon, tell us!" Naruto insisted. "Well, well?" He asked when Kakashi remained muted. "They are all K.I.A." He said sadly. Mayumi lowered her head in sadness and respect. Naruto didn't seem to know what that meant because he continued to look cheerful, oblivious to the dark mood that had descended upon his squad-mates and Sensei. "That sounds real cool!"

"It means Killed In Action, they all died," Sakura told him sadly. Naruto bowed his head and turned away once he had fully registered what she said. The five of them all stood in silence for a few moments before Kakashi spoke. "This is a memorial stone, the names of my closest friends are engraved here…" Mayumi felt so bad for her Sensei, but she couldn't bring herself to do anything but stay silent. "Alright, I'm going to give you one more chance, but I'm going to make it much harder on you. You'll have three hours to get a bell. Eat lunch now to build up strength. But, Naruto doesn't get any. It's your punishment for breaking the rules and trying to eat by yourself. And if anyone tries to feed him, that person will immediately fail. I make the rules, you follow them, got it?" With that he left.

Sakura and Sasuke began to eat while Naruto's stomach rumbled ominously. Mayumi looked at her lunch thoughtfully before looking at Naruto as he started speaking. "This is no big deal, I can go without eating for days, for weeks! Believe it! This is no big deal!" He sounded like he was trying to convince himself more than anyone else. "No problem…" he said, quieter than before.

"Here," Sasuke said, holding out his lunch to Naruto.

"No, Sasuke, you can't do that! You heard what the Sensei said!" Sakura looked around nervously. Mayumi looked at them, waiting to see how this would play out. "Kakashi's gone, we need to get those bells as a team. If Naruto's hungry, he'll be weak and ineffective, that hurts the team and jeopardises the mission." Sasuke informed them in a monotone, his eyes not leaving the ground. Mayumi then decided to speak up. "He's right, I think. We can't fight well together when one of us is hungry," they looked at her, a little surprised that she had spoken up.

Sakura looked at her lunch before holding it out to Naruto. Mayumi also edged her untouched food to him. "Ok, thanks," Naruto sounded a little reluctant but he accepted all the same. "Don't thank me, just hurry up and eat," she told him.

"But isn't that your lunch?" He asked, dubious of whether or not to take it.

"I'm on a diet… I mean, I don't need as much as Sasuke or Mayumi, so, just take it, Naruto!" She urged, worried that Kakashi may appear at any second.

"I can't take it! Because… I can't move my hands, you've gotta feed me," Naruto told her, straining his hands against the rope to emphasise the point. "Hurry up, he can come back any minute." Mayumi nodded in agreement. Sasuke was right, if they didn't hurry, then they could get caught. "This is one time only. That's it, I'll never do this again, is that clear?!" Sakura really didn't find the idea of feeding Naruto appealing. "Clear as a bell, Sakura," he smiled at her. His response made them all think about the upcoming challenge.

Naruto had only eaten one bite when a cloud of smoke erupted in front of them, the wind mixed with it tugging at their clothes. "You!" Kakashi boomed. Naruto struggled frantically and yelped while Sakura shielded herself with her arms. Sasuke took up a defensive position while Mayumi did the same, only with more hesitation. "You broke the rules, I hope you're ready for the punishment," he then rose and then formed the Ox hand sign, followed by the Boar, and finally the Rat, with lightning speed.

Dark clouds began to loom over them, the deep, rumbling roar of thunder and the quick flashes of lightning alerting them to danger. "Any last words?" Kakashi asked them, while he maintained the Rat hand sign. "W… w… what you said," Naruto began, his teeth chattering. "Yes?" Kakashi asked, towering over them.

"You said that there were four of us! That's what you said, and that's why… Sakura, Mayumi and…" He said the last bit with less confidence as he looked uncertainly at his squad-mates. "We're all on this squad and we're all in it together," Sasuke backed him up. "We are a team, we have to help each other!" Mayumi said loudly, shocking them slightly at her sudden loudness. "Yeah, that's right! We gave our lunch to him because the four of us are one!" Sakura joined in.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah! Believe it! That's right!" Naruto yelled.

"The four of you are one, that's your excuse?" Kakashi leaned over to look at them all. The corner of his visible eye crinkled, showing them that he was smiling. "You pass." All of them looked at him, shocked at the least. "You pass." He said, slower this time. "What do you mean? How'd we pass?" Sakura asked as the dark clouds began to disperse, letting the sun's light shine through. "You're the first squad that ever succeeded. The others did exactly what I said, and fell into every trap. They couldn't think for themselves. A ninja must see through deception. In the ninja world, those who break the rules are scum, that''s true. But, those who abandon their friends, are worse than scum." He said looking up at the sky.

Naruto's eyes glistened with unshed tears as he tried to speak without his voice cracking. "He's, uh… you know, he's kinda cool,"

"The exercise is over, everyone passes. Squad Seven starts its first mission tomorrow!" Kakashi exclaimed, holding up a thumbs-up. The four began to cheer happily, feeling fulfilled. "Let's go home," their Sensei suggested as they all began to walk off, Mayumi lagging behind a little.

"I knew they'd do this, it happens every time, believe it! You guys forgot to untie me!" Naruto hollered after their retreating figures.

The sun beat down mercilessly on the forest outside Konoha while the chirping of birds filled the air. "Sasuke, I'm at point B." Sasuke informed over the communicator. "Mayumi, I'm at point D." Mayumi said once she had gotten to her designated area.

"Sakura, I'm at point C." Sakura said.

"Naruto, I'm at point A, believe it!"

"You're slow, Naruto. Ok, Squad Seven… the target has moved! Follow it!" Kakashi told them. The four Genin of Squad Seven ran swiftly and stealthily up to their target, hiding behind some trees once it was in sight.

The second Kakashi gave them the signal, they leapt out of hiding. "I got him! I got him!" Naruto yelled as he held the cat. It scratched at him and hissed while Sasuke informed their Sensei of the completed mission. Mayumi pried the cat off of Naruto, only to have it jump back and attack him again while Sakura smiled, finding the sight amusing.

Once they were back at the mission-collecting area, they handed the cat to its owner. Madame Shijimi (the owner) hugged Tora (the cat) so much that Mayumi felt a little bad about having to recapture it.

"For Squad Seven's next mission, we have several available tasks. Among them, babysitting the chief counsellor's three year old, helping his wife to do the shopping, digging up potatoes and-" the Third Hokage was interrupted by Naruto's whining.

"I wanna go on a real mission! Something challenging and exciting, not this little kid stuff! C'mon old man!" As much as Mayumi agreed with him, she couldn't bring herself to answer back, let alone yell at the Hokage. "How dare you?! You're just a brand new Genin with no experience! Like everyone else, you start with simple missions to develop your skills and prove yourself!" Iruka Sensei shouted while the Hokage turned away, giving Mayumi the impression that he was embarrassed.

"Are you serious?! Babysitting is not a mission, it's just a stupid- gah!" He shouted as Kakashi hit him on the head. "Will you put a lid on it?" He asked his student wearily. "Naruto, it seems you do not understand the tasks you have been given. Listen, many different kinds of requests come into our village every day. From babysitting to assassinations. These are carefully recorded, analysed, then ranked A, B, C or D, depending on their difficulty. We ninja are also ranked by ability, Hokage at the top, Jonin, Chunin and Genin at the bottom. At the highest level, we select the missions and assign them to ninja who have the appropriate skill and experience. And if the mission is successful, we receive a fee that supports our village, and our work. Sice you are untried Genin just starting down the shinobi path, you are given D level assignments, of course." The Hokage explained, only to find Naruto talking about something else, not listening to him at all.

"So I had this Tonkatsu Ramen yesterday, and Miso Ramen today…"

"Silence!" The Hokage commanded, irked at being ignored.

"Oh, sorry," Kakashi apologised for his student as he rubbed the back of his head in a somewhat sheepish manner. "You always lecture me like you're my grandfather or something! But I'm not the little brat who used to pull pranks all the time, I'm a ninja now and I want a ninja mission!" Naruto exclaimed before turning around and crossing his arms stubbornly.

Iruka Sensei and the Hokage snickered quietly before the latter spoke up again. "So be it, since you are so determined, I'm going to give you a C ranked mission. You'll be bodyguards on a journey." Mayumi barely contained herself, she really wanted jump up and down like a little kid, they had finally gotten a real mission!

"Really? Yes! Who, who?! Are we guarding a princess, or some councillor?!" Naruto asked excitedly. "Don't be so impatient, I will bring him in now. Send in our visitor," Lord Hokage commanded.

The door behind them swung open agonisingly slowly, only to reveal a somewhat aged man who held a bottle that probably contained beer or Sake. "What the-? A bunch of little snot-nosed kids?" He then drunk a bit of what was in the bottle before speaking again while he leant on the doorframe. "And you, the little one with the idiotic look on your face. D'you really expect me to believe you're a ninja?" Naruto laughed in response. "Who's the little one with the idiotic look on his- huh?" His squad-mates just looked at him, he was the shortest male out of the four.

"I'll demolish you!" Naruto yelled at their temporary employer while Kakashi held him back. "You can't demolish the client, Naruto. It doesn't work that way," Kakashi explained to his pupil. The man just drunk some more before turning to look at them. "I am Tazuna, a master bridge builder. I must return to my country. I'm building a bridge there that will change our world, and I expect you to get me there safely, even if it means giving up your life." They all sighed mentally and exited the room to go and make preparations for their mission.


	4. Chapter 3

**Ambushed and The Demon Of The Hidden Mist Attacks**

Mayumi rose early the next morning, ready for their mission. Getting prepared quickly and taking her equipment with her, she headed outside. She made her way to the village gates to meet up with the squad and their client.

As she walked through the gates, Mayumi couldn't help but feel very small in comparison to the majestic doors. "Yeah! All right!" Naruto yelled the second he was past the gates. "What are you getting all excited about, Naruto?"

"This is the first time I ever left the village, I'm a traveler now, believe it!" Was Naruto's reply to Sakura's annoyed question. Tazuna eyed Naruto with disgust. "Hey, am I supposed to trust my life to this runt? He's a joke!" Kakashi chuckled lightly at this. "He's with me and I'm a Jonin so you don't need to worry," He informed the bridge builder.

Naruto whirled around to face their client and pointed a finger at him. "Hey! Never insult a ninja, it's a very big mistake and I'm one of the greatest ninja ever! Someday, I'm gonna be a Hokage and you'll look up to me! My name's Naruto Uzumaki, remember it!" Tazuna gulped down more of the drink he had in that bottle before eyeing Naruto with a bored expression. "Hokage are powerful and wise, you are puny and brainless. The day you become Hokage, I'll sprout wings and fly."

"Agh! Shut up! I'm willing to do anything to become Hokage, no matter what it takes! And when I do, everyone will have to admit that I'm the top ninja, including you!" Naruto yelled back. Tazuna merely grunted contemptuously and said, "you can become Hokage ten times over and to me you'll still be nobody, a loser." Mayumi winced inwardly, she found that comment a little cruel. "I'm gonna make you pay for that right now!" Naruto lunged at Tazuna, only to be grabbed back by Kakashi.

"I told you, you're supposed to protect the client, not attack him," Kakashi explained wearily, a hint of frustration in his voice.

They set off at a steady pace down the road. The weather was pleasant and the temperature was neither cold nor hot. Mayumi listened to the birds chirping and smiled, she loved that sound. "Say, Mr Tazuna?" Sakura's voice snapped Mayumi out of her revere. "What is it?" The man grumbled back.

"Your country is the Land of Waves, right?" She asked somewhat cautiously.

"Yeah, what of it?" Tazuna replied. Turning to look at her Sensei, Sakura continued,

"Kakashi Sensei, there are ninja in that country too, aren't there?" The others looked at Kakashi, curious to know what his response would be.

"No, there are no ninja in the Land of Waves. But, in other countries, there are Hidden Villages. Each with their own different customs and cultures, where ninja reside. To the people of this continent, the existence of shinobi villages mean strength, military strength. In other words, that's how they protect themselves and maintain the balance of power with neighbouring countries. The ninja villages are not controlled by any government, they're independent and have equal status. Now, a small island like the Land of Waves, has natural protection from the sea. So, there's no need for a ninja village. The five ancient lands that posses shinobi villages are the Lands of Fire, Water, Lightening, Wind and Earth. They each occupy vast territories. Together, they are known as the Five Great Shinobi Nations. The Land of Fire has the Village Hidden in the Leaves, the Land of Water has the Village Hidden in the Mist, the Land of Lightening has the Village Hidden in the Clouds, the Land of Wind has the Village Hidden in the Sand and the Land of Earth has the Village Hidden in the Stones. Only the leaders of these Hidden Villages are permitted the name 'Kage', which means shadow. Hokage, Mizukage, Raikage, Kazekage, Tsuchikage. These are the leaders, the five shadows that reign over thousands of ninja."

Mayumi looked at Kakashi with wide eyes, she hadn't known much about the other villages and this took her completely by surprise. "Then Lord Hokage's really important!" Sakura exclaimed. Naruto frowned in thought while Sasuke remained neutral. _'Wait… I hardly know Lord Hokage, yet I'm sure he can't be that great…'_ Mayumi thought.

"Hey, you all just doubted Lord Hokage, didn't you? That's what you were thinking," Kakashi said accusingly. Sasuke remained still as Sakura and Naruto shook their heads vigorously. Mayumi tried to keep still and silent, but she was sure that it didn't fool their Sensei.

Kakashi placed a hand on Sakura's head, "Well, anyway, there are no ninja battles in a C-Ranked mission. So, you can relax." He informed them.

"And we're not going to run into any foreign enemy ninja or something like that," Sakura said, relieved. Kakashi chuckled,

"Not likely," was Kakashi's reply.

They continued to walk, passing over a bridge and back onto the dirt road. Mayumi looked around her as she walked, enjoying the scenery. Trees stood to the sides of the path and birds chirped from the branches. The sun shone brightly and there were few clouds in the sky. The ground was a little dusty and there was a lone puddle sitting in it. Wait… a puddle? Mayumi gazed at it while they walked past, why was there a puddle here? It hadn't rained in a while and the temperature had risen a little over the course of the morning. Contemplating this, Mayumi continued to walk alongside the others.

A clanging sound was heard behind them and in a matter of seconds, spiked chains snaked around Kakashi and wrapped themselves around him. Two ninjas with Mist Headbands appeared, the chains coming out from their clawed gauntlets. They pulled the chains fiercely, tearing Kakashi to pieces. The Genin and their client looked on and saw, with horror, Kakashi being ripped to shreds and fall to the ground in a pulpy mess. The enemy ninja were behind Naruto in mere moments, narrowing their eyes cruelly and snickering evilly. "Now it's your turn." One of them growled before they leapt at Naruto. Mayumi jumped forward to help when Sasuke leapt up and threw a shuriken at the writhing chains, pinning them against a tree. He then threw a kunai to help embed the shuriken into the tree. Their opponents tugged at the chains futilely. "I can't get loose!" One of them growled.

Sasuke landed on the gauntlets, held on to them and kicked their wielders in the face simultaneously. They fell backwards and the chain snapped and landed on the dusty ground with a clang. The Mist ninja wasted no time. One lunged at Naruto while the other targeted Tazuna. Mayumi briefly saw Sakura and Sasuke stand in front of Tazuna to protect him, so she dashed over to Naruto, kunai in hand. Naruto was knocked down so she dug the kunai deep into the bare part of the offender's arm. He howled in pain and turned to her, anger in his eyes. He raised a metal, clawed, gauntlet-clad arm and brought it down on her with lightening speed. Mayumi kept her eyes open, bowed her head and braced herself. But the blow never came. She looked up to see Kakashi holding the two, now unconscious ninja.

"Hi," their Sensei said casually. Sakura looked at Kakashi in awe while Sasuke simply looked at him plainly. Mayumi looked relieved and glad while Naruto stared at Kakashi incredulously. "Huh? But he was-" Naruto turned to see a pile of wood where Kakashi had supposedly been 'killed'. "What?! K… Kakashi Sensei used the replacement jutsu!" He exclaimed.

"Naruto, sorry I didn't help you right away, I didn't mean for you to get hurt. I just didn't think you'd freeze up like that." Kakashi said over his shoulder as he walked up to Sasuke, Sakura and Mayumi. "Good job Sasuke, very smooth. You too Sakura and Mayumi." Looking past her mentor, Mayumi saw Naruto and immediately felt a pang in her chest. He tried and yet he was outshone, he looked so put out. She went over to comfort him but saw Sasuke turn around to speak to him.

"Hey, you're not hurt are ya? Scaredy-cat," Before Mayumi could intervene, Kakashi spoke up. "Naruto! Stand still. These ninja have poison in their claws, we need to take it out of you quickly. You have to open the wound and remove it. It's in your blood so don't move around, that spreads the poison. By the way, Mr Tazuna, we need to talk."

Once the Mist ninja had been tied to a tree securely, Kakashi turned to their client. "They're Chunin from the Village Hidden in the Mist. Their specialty is 'relentless attack', they keep fighting no matter the sacrifice." He started.

"How did you know about our ambush?" The enemy ninja demanded to know.

"A puddle, on a clear day, when it hasn't rained in weeks," Mayumi remembered the puddle from earlier and felt ashamed for not realising it sooner. "In that case, why'd you leave it for the Genin to do the fighting?" Tazuna questioned.

"I could have taken them out quickly, but then, I'de have learned nothing. I had to know who their target was. And, what they were after."

"What are you getting at?" Tazuna grumbled at the Jonin.

"This. I wanted to know if they were after us, ninja attacking ninja, or, if they were after you, the master bridge builder. When you put in your request, you asked for standard protection, from robbers and highway men. You didn't say there were ninja looking for you, hunting you down. If we knew this, it would be a B-Rank mission or higher. Our task was simply to get you to your destination and protect you while you finished building your bridge. If we knew we'd be fielding attacks from enemy ninja, we would have staffed it differently and charged for the cost of a B mission. Apparently, you have your reasons, but lying to us is not acceptable. We are now beyond the scope of this mission." Kakashi answered. Tazuna bowed his head in what looked like shame.

"We are only Genin, this is too advanced for our level of training. We should go back, and I really think we need to treat Naruto's wound and get the poison out as soon as possible. back in our village, we can take him to a doctor," Sakura added on.

"Naruto's hand could become a problem," He sighed wearily, "I guess we should go back to the village." Kakashi decided.

Naruto growled, quivering with anger that was mostly directed at himself. Without warning, he raised his kunai and brought it down, plunging it deeply into the back of his hand. Mayumi's eyes widened and they all stared at him, shocked. "Why am I so different? Why am I always…?" He growled in frustration.

"Naruto! Stop that! What are you doing?" Sakura said loudly, shock still apparent in her voice. "I worked so hard to get here, pushing myself till it hurt! Training alone for hours, anything to get stronger, to reach my dream! I will never back down again and let someone else rescue me! I will never run away, and I will not lose to Sasuke! Upon this wound, I make this pledge, believe it! Bridge builder, I'll complete this mission and protect you with this kunai knife! A real ninja never gives up, and neither will I! Don't you guys worry about me, I'll be fine! Now let's go!"

"Naruto, err, that was really cool how you took the poison out and all, but if you lose anymore blood, you're going to die." Kakashi informed his student. A moment of silence passed before Naruto visibly paled and sweat began to run down his face. "Good idea to stop the bleeding now, seriously," Kakashi urged.

"No, no, no! I'm too young for it to all end like this! No, no, no!"

"Show me your hand," Kakashi sounded patient, but also exasperated.

"Naruto, you've got a self-abusive personality, it's called masochism," Sakura informed Naruto while Kakashi took Naruto's hand and examined it, his one visible eye widening a little. "Um, um… you have a really serious look on your face, you're scaring me, am I Ok?" Naruto asked, still a little pale and trembling.

"Uh, yeah, you should be fine." Kakashi replied while bandaging his pupil's hand.

Mist wreathed around them as they sat on the wooden boat. The cloudy water rippled underneath them violently as they continued to row upon it. "This fog's so thick, you can't see anything!" Sakura half-whispered.

"The bridge isn't far now, our destination's just ahead, the Land of Waves." The rower informed. Through the mist, they saw a half-finished bridge standing high above the water. They looked up in awe the majestic structure as they drifted past it. "Wow! It's huge!" Naruto said loudly.

"Quiet, I told you, no noise! Why do you think we're travelling like this, huh? Cutting off the engine and rowing, moving through the dense fog, so they don't see us," The boat owner reprimanded. "Mr Tazuna, before we reach the pier, I want to ask you something. The men who are after you, I need to know why. If you don't tell us, I'm afraid I'll have to end this mission when we drop you ashore." Kakashi told him firmly.

"I have no choice but to tell you. No. I want you to know the truth. Like you said, this is beyond the scope of the original mission. The one who seeks my life is a very short man who casts a very long and deadly shadow." Tazuna began.

"A deadly shadow? Hmm, who is it?" Kakashi questioned.

"You know him, at least, I'm sure you've heard his name before. He's one of the wealthiest men in the world. The shipping magnet, Gato."

"Huh? Gato? Of Gato Transport? He's a business leader and everyone knows him," Kakashi looked surprised by what Tazuna had told them. Naruto leaned forward, interested in the conversation. "Who? who? What? What?"

"Gato. He's a very powerful tycoon from a famous company, that's true. But below the surface, with the same ruthless methods he uses to take over businesses and nations, he sells drugs and contraband, using gangs and ninja. It was one year ago, when Gato first set his sight on the Land of Waves. He came to our island and used his vast wealth to take total control of our transport and shipping. Anyone who tried to stand in his was simply, disappeared. In an island nation, a man who controls the sea, controls everything. Finance, government, our very lives! But there's one thing he fears, the bridge. When it is complete, it will join us to the land and that will break his control. I am the bridge builder." Tazuna finished.

"So that's it, since you're in charge of the bridge, you're standing in this gangster's way," Sakura put a hand on her chin as she thought.

"That means, those guys we fought in the forest, they were working for Gato," Sasuke added.

"That means that there must be many more of them…" Mayumi also put a hand on her chin.

"I don't understand, if you knew he was dangerous, knew he'd send ninja to eliminate you, why did you hide that from us?" Kakashi spoke up again.

"Because the Land of Waves is a small and poor nation. Even our nobles have little money. The common people who are building this bridge, they can't pay for an A or B-Ranked mission, it's too expensive. If you end the mission when you drop me ashore, there will be no bridge. They'll assassinate me before I reach home. But, don't feel bad about that. Of course, my sweet little grandson will be upset, he'll cry 'grand-dad, I want my grand-dad!'" Mayumi winced inwardly at the terrible impression of a child's voice that Tazuna had done. "And my daughter will condemn the ninja of the Hidden Leaf, denouncing and blaming you for abandoning her father and leaving her life in sorrow. Oh well, it's not your fault, forget it."

Mayumi frowned slightly at this but returned to her normal expression when Kakashi said, "Well, I guess we have no other choice, we'll have to keep guarding you."

"I'm very grateful," Tazuna told them in what seemed like an almost fake voice.

"We're approaching the shore," The rower informed them as a tunnel came into view. "Tazuna, we've been very fortunate, no-one has noticed us so far."

"Nice going," was Tazuna's response for the rower.

They drifted through the tunnel at what Mayumi thought was a slow pace. When they finally emerged out of the other side, they were met with a small beach and a house or two lined up behind some wooden planks that led onto the mainland. The mist had disappeared and the sun shone down on them instead, a minor number of clouds dotted around the horizon. A few trees stuck out of the water, which was calm and a pure blue colour.

They all stepped off the boat, minus the boat owner who said that that was as far as he could go before rowing off. Turning to them, Tazuna spoke. "Ok, take me to my home, and I mean, get me there in one piece."

"Right," Kakashi acknowledged the bridge builder's command and complied.

As they trudged through the forest, Naruto ran forward without warning and threw a kunai into a bush, exclaiming, "over there!" Everyone froze and waited for something to come out of the bush and attack them. A few moments passed and still, nothing appeared. Straightening back up, Naruto simply said, "it was just a mouse."

"Mouse?! Yeah right, everyone can see through your stupid act, you're so obvious that it's embarrassing!" Sakura yelled, pointing a finger at her blond-haired squad-mate.

"Naruto, those are kunai knives, they're dangerous," Kakashi tried to explain to his student.

"Stop trying to scare me you scruffy little dwarf!" An enraged Tazuna roared.

"Hey, is someone hiding over there? No! They're over there! Over there!" He yelled as he threw another knife into some bushed. "That's it, Naruto!" Sakura shouted while hitting him on the head. "Why'd you do that, somebody is following us, I mean it!" Naruto yelled back. "Yeah right! Quit lying and acting like a dumb kid!" While the two argued, Kakashi had made his way over to where the kunai landed, to find a rabbit laying there, petrified, the kunai only an inch above its head.

Sakura gasped as she saw it before turning to yell at him, "Naruto! Look what you did!"

"A rabbit! I'm sorry little rabbit, I'm sorry!" Naruto picked up the poor rabbit while Tazuna grumbled, "all this fuss over a rodent…"

Something was strange about that rabbit, but Mayumi couldn't identify what. She began to think about it, trying to figure out why it seemed odd to her, when Kakashi shouted, "look out!" Effectively snapping her out of her thoughts.

They all ducked as a large object came hurtling down from the canopy layer of the trees. The rabbit scurried away in fright as the object embedded itself into a tree. The next second, a man was standing on it with his back to them them. He regarded them with cold eyes over his shoulder. "Well, well, if it isn't Zabuza Momochi, rogue ninja from the Village Hidden in the Mist," Kakashi drawled casually, looking unaffected by the other man's hostile entrance.

Naruto ran forward, ready to take on the threat, when Kakashi stuck out his hand, signalling for him to stop. "You're in the way, get back." Kakashi commanded.

"But why?" Naruto questioned, confused as to why he wasn't permitted to fight.

"He is not like those other ninja, he is in a whole other league. If he's our opponent, I'll need this," Kakashi's usually laid-back and carefree voice had a warning laced into it. He raised his hand up to the part where his headband was covering his eye. "This could be treacherous," he clasped his hand around his headband.

"Kakashi of the Sharingan eye, did I get that right?" The man named Zabuza had a deep, growling voice. A pang flew through Mayumi's head, but disappeared in a flash. "It's too bad, huh? But you'll have to hand over the old man," Zabuza's voice rumbled out, a threat placed in his words. The five ninjas and Tazuna tensed visibly, there would undoubtedly be a battle, and it wouldn't be easy to defeat this foe.


	5. Chapter 4

**Team 7 Vs Zabuza and The Mysterious Tracker Ninja**

"Now quick! Protect the bridge builder and stay out of this fight. I taught you teamwork, now it's time to use it." With that, Kakashi raised his headband off his concealed eye, revealing his other eye, with a scar running right down it. The eye opened, showing a red iris, a black pupil, and three small, comma-shaped dots connected by a circular line around the pupil. Pain slashed through Mayumi once she had set her gaze on the strange, scarred eye. She fell to her knees and clenched her eyes shut. The second she had done so, the pain disappeared. She looked back up into the eye, and this time, only felt a flicker of hurt where the pain once was. She stood back up, receiving strange stares from the others. In response, she gave them all a sheepish smile and scratched the back of her neck nervously.

"I'm ready," Kakashi said simply, getting into a fighting stance.

"Well, looks like I get to see the Sharingan in action. This is an honour," Mayumi couldn't tell if Zabuza was being sarcastic, for his voice was too deep and grow-like for her too identify its tone. "Everyone keeps saying Sharingan, Sharingan. Will someone please tell me what Sharingan is?!" Naruto asked loudly.

"Sharingan, a rare power. It resides in the eyes. The user of this visual jutsu, or Doujutsu, can instantly see and comprehend any Genjutsu, Taijutsu and Ninjutsu and reflect the attack back on the attacker. The Sharingan is a special, rare form of Doujutsu. However, there's more to the Sharingan than that, a lot more." Sasuke explained.

Again, another small wave of pain washed over Mayumi, but then flitted away in an instant, leading Mayumi to think that she had only imagined it. "You got it right, boy. But you only scratched the surface. The Sharingan can analyse an opponent's technique and then copy it to the smallest detail." As soon as Zabuza had finished saying that, mist descended upon them, fogging up the soon-to-be battlefield.

"As for you, Jonin, in the assassination unit of the Hidden Mist, we had a standing order to destroy you on sight. Your profile was in our Bingo Book, it called you 'The Man Who Copied Over A Thousand Jutsu,' Kakashi, The Copy Ninja." A few moments of uneasy silence passed before Naruto decided to speak up. "Wow! That's so cool!" Mayumi lapsed into silence, brooding over the pain she had felt when she had looked into the Sharingan eye. _'Did I imagine that one too? No, I couldn't have, it was too real…'_

"Enough talking, I need to exterminate the old man, now." Zabuza changed his somewhat casual position into one of attack. The four Genin dashed in front of Tazuna, holding their kunai knives out, protecting him from any oncoming attacks. "So, I have to eliminate you first, eh Kakashi? So be it." With that, the rogue ninja pulled the object out of the tree and vanished in an instant.

The next second, he reappeared, standing on the water, the object that was now identifiable as a sword on his back. "He's over there!" Naruto alerted.

"Standing on the water!" Sakura added, incredulous.

Their foe was doing a hand-sign of some kind, causing the water around him to stir in an unnatural manner. "Ninja art, Hidden Mist Jutsu," and with that, he was gone. "He vanished!" Naruto stated more than asked.

"Sensei," Sakura sounded as nervous and fearful as they all felt.

"He'll come after me first," he informed them.

"But, who is he?" Sakura asked, curiosity apparent in her voice.

"Zabuza Momochi, the ex-leader of the Hidden Mist Assassination Unit. He's a master of the silent killing technique." Kakashi answered.

"S… silent?" Naruto questioned, dreading the answer.

"As the name suggests, it happens in an instant, without sound or warning of any kind. It's so fast, you pass from this life without realising what has happened. The Sharingan cannot fully neutralise it, so don't lower your guard." Kakashi explained to his students. "Well, if we fail, we only lose our lives," Mayumi would have found the casual tone he said that in a little amusing in a different situation, though Sakura didn't seem to agree. "How can you say that?!" She exclaimed. Only silence met her words as they all stood there warily.

"The mist is getting thicker and thicker!" Naruto exclaimed, alarmed.

"The Land of Waves is surrounded by ocean, the swirling mists are ever-present." Tazuna told him as they struggled to see Kakashi through the dense mist. "Sensei!" Sakura called out as Kakashi was swallowed by the mist. Unable to see more that a meter in front of them, they tensed even more, prepared to defend the bridge builder from any kind of onslaught.

"Eight points," a deep, raspy voice came out of nowhere.

"What's that?" Sakura asked, startled and unnerved.

The voice proceeded to list eight parts of the body that could be used as assasination points. "Now, which will be my attack point?" The voice, now identifiable as Zabuza's, finished.

A dread-filled silence dragged by slowly, until Kakashi cleared a little bit of the mist so that they could all see each other. More silence. "Calm down, I'll protect you with my life, all of you. I will not allow my comrades to die, trust me." With that, Kakashi turned to face them, the corner of his eye crinkling slightly, showing them that he was smiling. "I wouldn't be so sure," just as the words had been said, Zabuza reappeared in-between Tazuna and the Genin, who were stunned into immobility.

"It's over." Zabuza swung his sword around, intent on destroying them all in one fatal motion. Kakashi leapt forward, knocking them all back and burying a kunai into the other man. Water poured from Zabuza's wound, revealing it to actually be a water clone. "Sensei, behind you!" Naruto yelled as the real Zabuza appeared behind Kakashi. The water clone fell apart and landed in a puddle on the ground. Zabuza swung the sword at Kakashi, cutting him in half. Zabuza smirked cruelly as he watched the Jonin fall to the ground in two separate pieces.

The flesh of the fallen ninja erupted into droplets of water. Zabuza's eyes widened in incredulousness as he realised that Kakashi had copied his Water Clone Jutsu. Before he could react, Zabuza found a kunai right next to his neck. "Don't move," Kakashi's voice came from beside him. "Now, it's over."

"You're finished." Kakashi told his adversary, a note of finality in his voice.

"All right!" Naruto yelled, relieved. Sakura laughed quietly and nervously while Sasuke and Mayumi remained silent. A dark, hollow chuckling came from Zabuza, causing Kakashi's eyes to widen questioningly. "Finished. You really don't get it, do you? Your technique is nothing but a crass imitation. I'll never be defeated by a mere copy-cat ninja like you," Kakashi snarled in response to Zabuza's insult, narrowing his eyes.

Zabuza chuckled in a cruel manner before continuing, "you are full of surprises though. You'd already copied my Water Clone Jutsu when you made your little speech, very skilfully executed. You made your clone say those words to draw my attention, while you hid in the mist, waiting for me to make my move. Nice try, but I'm not that easy to fool." Zabuza informed as he appeared behind Kakashi, the water clone of the former disappearing in front of the latter.

"Hey! That one's a clone too!" Naruto shouted as Zabuza made to swing his sword at the other Jonin. Kakashi ducked, narrowly avoiding being decapitated. The heavy sword embedded itself deeply into the ground, sending dust everywhere. Zabuza used the handle of the sword to propel himself and kick Kakashi, sending him flying. "Now," he lifted the sword out of the earth and charged, skidding to a stop once he saw that his opponent had left poison needles on the ground.

"Trying to slow me down, foolish." With that, he leapt backwards into the lake.

"Sensei!" Naruto called out, worried. Sakura looked at the scene before them fearfully, worry etched onto her face. "He has great physical skill too…" Sasuke told them. "Sensei! You need to get out of the water now! It's his element, he can attack you from anywhere if you stay there!" Mayumi shouted, hoping that he could hear her.

A drenched Kakashi broke through the surface of the water while Zabuza dashed up behind him. "Your warning came too late." Zabuza began to form hand signs. "Fool. Water Prison Jutsu!"

"No!" But, it was too late. Kakashi was now encased inside a sphere of water, rendered completely immobile. Zabuza chuckled again as he maintained the jutsu by keeping the sphere up with his right hand. "This prison is made of water, but is stronger than steel. It's hard to fight when you can't move. So much for the great Kakashi, I'll finish you off later. But first, your little friends will have to be eliminated. Water Clone Jutsu!" A clone rose from the waters and stood in front of the four Genin and Tazuna.

"You think wearing a headband makes you a ninja? When you've hovered between life and death so many times that it doesn't faze you, then, you may be called a ninja. When you've become so deadly that your profile is entered in my Bingo Book, then, you may have earned the title 'ninja'. But to call upstarts like you ninja, is a joke." Forming another hand-sign, he disappeared into the mist. A second later, he reappeared and sent Naruto flying backward with a kick to the face. The unfortunate Genin's headband fell off, landing in front of Zabuza, who stepped on it, crushing it with his foot.

"You're just brats,"

"Naruto!" Sakura called out to her squad-mate.

"Listen, get the bridge builder and run, you can't win this fight! He's using all of his power to keep me in this prison, so he can only fight you with his water clone. But the clone can't go far from his real body, if you get away from him, he can't follow. Now run!" Kakashi told them from the confines of the water prison.

Suddenly and without warning, Sasuke ran forward, sending a volley of shuriken at Zabuza, who stopped them all effortlessly with his sword. But, Sasuke wasn't finished yet, he leapt up and got out a kunai, ready to embed it in his enemy. Zabuza simply raised his arm and caught Sasuke in mid-air by the throat. He then proceeded to throw him to the side with one force-filled motion. "Sasuke!" Sakura cried as the raven-haired boy made contact with the ground. "He got Sasuke!" Naruto exclaimed in disbelief as Zabuza towered over them.

Next, Mayumi ran forward, aiming a kick at the rogue ninja. He stopped it easily and threw her back. She managed to stop the fall from being too painful, but it still managed to wind her. As she struggled to stand back up, she saw Naruto run forwards. "Naruto, no!" Kakashi shouted, but it seemed to tumble off deaf ears as Naruto continued to charge. "Naruto, what in the world are you doing?!" Sakura yelled. Zabuza easily swatted Naruto aside, sending him tumbling back a few metres.

"What were you thinking, charging at him all by yourself?! Even Sasuke couldn't get to him! We are only Genin, we can't defeat a Jonin, what'd you think you'd accomplish by that?!" Sakura stopped with a small gasp as she saw Naruto struggle back up to his feet. Mayumi walked forward to join them, she seemed to be Ok, well, in better shape than Naruto was right now.

Clutched in his left hand, Naruto had his headband. Had he only charged forward to get that from Zabuza? "Hey you, the freak with no eyebrows. Put this in your Bingo Book, the ninja that will become Hokage of the Village Hidden in the Leaves. He never backs down, his name's Naruto Uzumaki!" He put on his headband and turned to his teammates. "Alright, Sasuke. Listen up, can you hear me?"

"Yeah, I hear you,"

"I've got a plan!"

"So you're finally thinking about teamwork, huh?"

"Teamwork is only effective if all of us take part," Mayumi added, smirking in a way that seemed a little uncharacteristic for her.

"Alright. Now guys, lets go wild!"

"Ok, ready? Lets bring this guy down."

"Big words for such a little man. You think your plan's gonna keep you in the game?" Zabuza chuckled darkly.

"What are you doing? I told you to run! This fight was over the moment I got caught, now take off! Your mission is not prove how brave you are, it's to save the bridge builder! Stay on mission!" Kakashi shouted. Naruto turned to face Tazuna. "Bridge builder?"

"Well I… I guess this all happened because of me, because of my desire to live. But I won't let that stand in your way now. Forget about me and do what you have to do. Go ahead and fight to save your Sensei." Was Tazuna's reply. Mayumi thought this very brave of him and for that, she may have gained a little respect for the man.

"Alright, you hear that?" Sasuke smirked slightly.

"Yeah, believe it. You ready?" Naruto grinned.

"Lets do this." Mayumi grinned a little, feeling her confidence build up. Another chuckle came out of Zabuza's mouth. But this time, it escalated into a laugh. It was empty, hollow, evil and cruel all at the same time and it sent chilling shivers up the other's spines. "You really haven't learned anything, have you? Still playing your little game, pretending to be ninja. When I was your age, this hand had already crushed many opponents." He growled, holding up his right hand.

"Zabuza the Demon…" Kakashi sent their adversary a sidelong, calculating stare. "So I was in your book too, huh?"

"Long ago in the Village Hidden in the Mist, also known as Bloodmist Village, before a student could become a ninja, there was one final test," Kakashi began. "Do you know about the graduateion exam?" Zabuza questioned, narrowing his eyes at the other Jonin. "What graduation exam? What's the big deal anyway? We had graduation tests too." Naruto asked, bewildered.

"Did you have to annihilate the other students to pass?" There was a short, horror-filled pause before Zabuza continued. "Imagine young ninja like you, eating together, training together. And then comes the final exam, only the rules changed. You couldn't stop until you destroyed your opponent. They were your friend, shared your dreams. Now, it's them, or you."

"That's so cruel…" Sakura said, her voice coming out wavered and scared.

"Ten years ago in the Village Hidden in the Mist, the graduation exam… changed. One year before, a dark evil had filled the school with terror," Kakashi began.

"What's he saying?" Sakura mused out-loud. "What evil? What kind of change? What caused the terror?"

"Without pause or hesitation, a young boy who was not even a ninja approached the class and took down over one-hundred other students." Kakashi explained. Zabuza stayed silent before finally speaking, his voice cold and devoid of emotion. "It… It felt so… good." The last word had an ineffable emotion laced into it, paralysing the others with the pure horror of it all.

Zabuza drove his elbow into Sasuke's side, making the latter smash into the ground. Then, he slammed his elbow into the male Uchiha's stomach, winding him. Now with his foot crushing Sasuke into the ground, Zabuza made to draw his sword. "You're nothing."

"Stop right there! Shadow Clone Jutsu!" In an instant, Zabuza was surrounded by many clones of Naruto. They leapt forward together, brandishing kunais. "Here we go!" Zabuza blocked all of them with his sword easily and then pushed them back, destroying the all of the clones.

"His skills are too advanced. He's too powerful, there's no way to defeat him!" Tazuna said grimly. "Sasuke! Mayumi!" Naruto called out, while throwing a black object to each of them. As Mayumi caught hers, she realised that is was some kind of shuriken. Then, she realised that it wasn't a shuriken, it was… _'good idea, Naruto.'_

"Demon Wind Shuriken, Windmill of Shadows!" The two dark-haired members of Team Seven exclaimed simultaneously. "Shuriken? You'll never touch me with those." Ignoring the rogue ninja's statement, the two of them leapt up and threw the twin shuriken at Zabuza.

Sasuke's flew past the clone while Mayumi's crashed into it, destroying it. Once it had destroyed the clone, the shuriken disappeared in a puff of smoke. The other continued its course, spinning rapidly. "So, you've passed the clone and aimed for my real body, smart," was all Zabuza had to say before catching the shuriken with his free hand. "But not smart enough."

Another shuriken emerged from the shadows and sped towards Zabuza. "A second shuriken in the shadow of the first, the Shadow Shuriken Jutsu!" Realisation dawned on Zabuza, but it didn't deter him for one moment. He leapt over the shuriken effortlessly, shocking them all. "I told you, a shuriken can't touch me!" He exclaimed, a hint of triumph in his voice.

Sakura and Tazuna looked at the scene before them, dreading what was to come, while Sasuke and Mayumi smirked. The shuriken exploded into a cloud of smoke. Once it had cleared, Naruto was revealed, grinning and holding a kunai, ready to throw it at Zabuza. "Eat this!" And then, he threw the knife at their nemesis' back.

Zabuza yanked his had out of the water prison, narrowly avoiding being stabbed by the kunai. This though, caused him to lose control of the prison, consequently freeing Kakashi. An animalistic rage burned in his eyes as whirled around, intent of finishing off Naruto with the shuriken he still held in his other hand. "I'll destroy you!" He lunged forward.

The whirring blades of the shuriken were stopped short by the hand-guard on Kakashi's gloves, making a loud clanging noise echo through the sudden silence. Said ninja looked up at at Zabuza through the water that was drenching him. The look in Kakashi's eyes caused Zabuza's to widen in something not unlike momentary fear.

"Kakashi Sensei!" Sakura exclaimed.

"Naruto, that was an excellent plan. You've really grown, haven't you?" Naruto laughed a little from his place in the water. "I knew I couldn't beat him with my shadow clones, that was just to distract him. While he fought the clones, I turned into a Demon Wind Shuriken while one of the clones turned into another Demon Wind Shuriken. He didn't know what to do, believe it! I used two of the clones to transform into the two shuriken. When I threw them to Sasuke and Mayumi, they looked like real shuriken. Sasuke could tell it was me in a second. He spun around while no-one could see and pulled out his own shuriken. Mayumi could tell that it was one of my clones, so she threw the shuriken at the water clone to get rid of it. That is why the shuriken disappeared once it had destroyed the copy of Zabuza, the shuriken itself was also a clone! Now there were two shuriken, one was real and one was me! I hid in the shadow of the real shuriken and my target was the real Zabuza. Of course, I knew that I couldn't fight Zabuza myself, that wasn't in the game plan. I just wanted to get in there and break up his water prison, believe it!" Naruto explained to the others.

"Don't brag, you just lucked out," Sasuke told him with a smirk on his face. "The whole thing was just a fluke!" Tazuna shouted, though he was probably really glad that they had managed to free Kakashi. "Great idea, Naruto!" Mayumi called out, smiling a little. Sakura looked at the others in awe, they had done it! They had freed Kakashi!

"Heh, I got distracted and lost my grip on the water prison." Zabuza said, though the others begged to differ. "Don't flatter yourself, you weren't distracted, you were forced to let go." Kakashi retorted. "Your technique worked on me once, but it won't work again. So, what's it gonna be?" Muteness followed Kakashi's supposed question, though they were sure that it was rhetorical. "Sakura, Mayumi, you know what to do." Sasuke said. The two females of Team Seven nodded and took their places beside the Uchiha, protecting the bridge builder.

Zabuza spun the rest of the shuriken's blades onto Kakashi's hand-guard. Mustering a small spurt of strength, Kakashi managed to knock the shuriken away, sending it spinning off into the mist.

The two Jonin leapt backwards and landed a few metres apart on the water. Then, Zabuza began to make hand-signs, saying their corresponding names as he made them. Mayumi did remember that hand-signs were named after the animals of the Zodiac, so she watched with interest and apprehension. "Ushi, Saru, U, Ne, I, Tori, Ushi, Uma, Tori, Ne, Tora, Inu, Tora, Mi, Ushi, Hitsuji, Mi, I, Hitsuji, Ne,"

"Ushi, Saru, U, Ne, I, Tori, Ushi, Uma, Tori, Ne, Tora, Inu, Tora, Mi, Ushi, Hitsuji, Mi, I, Hitsuji, Ne," Kakashi copied.

"Saru, Tori, Tatsu, Tori, Ushi, Uma, Tora, Mi, Ne, Saru, U, I, Tatsu, Hitsuji, Ne, Ushi, Saru, Tori, Ne, I, Tori! Water Style, Water Dragon Jutsu!" They finished simultaneously.

The water below them began to writhe, and soon, two water serpents rose from the depths. They clashed together ferociously, sending a large wave of water at Tazuna and the Genin. Again and again, the beasts collided, fighting fiercely. _'Wow, what a powerful Ninjutsu, fascinating even!'_ Mayumi thought as she saw the two dragons smash against each other again. Zabuza and Kakashi were currently locked in combat, the rogue ninja's sword bearing down on the Jonin, who was only using a kunai.

Without warning, the two leapt back and began circling each other so precisely that they each looked like reflections of the other. They began a new hand-sign at the same time. Zabuza's eyes widened as he realised that Kakashi had made the same sign as him without a second's pause or hesitation. "He's not just following, he moves the same way at the same time," Tazuna explained, shocked.

"How's he doing that? How, Sasuke?" Sakura received no response as Sasuke continued to gaze intently at the battle.

_'My movements… it's as if… it's as if he knows what I'm-'_

"Going to do next?" Kakashi finished Zabuza's thoughts out loud.

_'What?! Is he reading my mind as well? He looks at me with that eye…'_

"It makes you furious, doesn't it?" Kakashi finished his adversary's thoughts again.

"All you're doing is copying me, like a monkey," Zabuza mocked.

"You can't beat me with cheap tricks! I'll crush you!" Zabuza had planned to say this on his own, but Kakashi had said it at the same time as him. Zabuza's eyes widened in shock as his blood began to boil. "When I finish with you, you'll never open that monkey mouth again!" He growled as he formed more hand-signs.

"Water Style, Giant Vortex Jutsu!" As Kakashi called out the name of the jutsu, the marks on his Sharingan eye's iris began whirring around in circles at an incredible speed. Zabuza's eyes widened, "what?! Impossible!" A ring of water appeared in front of Kakashi, slowly growing bigger. Then, it grew to such a size that it wasn't a ring anymore, just a giant sphere of water. It surged forward, smashing into Zabuza with incredible force.

_'I was just about to create a vortex but he created one first! He copied my jutsu before I could even do it! I can't keep up!'_ He roared in his head as he was washed up against a tree, coughing. An array of kunai flew at him, pinning him to the tree.

"You're finished." Kakashi told him from his place on one of the tree's branches.

"How? Can you see into the future?" Zabuza asked, his voice raspy.

"Yes, this is your last battle. Ever." Kakashi said coldly as he readied a kunai. Before he could throw the kunai though, Zabuza had already fallen to the floor, lifeless, with two senbon buried in his neck. Shocked, Kakashi looked around, trying to find the source of the needles.

There, perched on a branch, stood a boy wearing a mask with the Mist symbol on it. "You were right, it was his last battle." The boy stated. Kakashi jumped off the branch, landing next to Zabuza's fallen form. He placed two fingers on the rogue ninja's neck, finding no pulse. "No vital signs," Kakashi then turned to look at the mysterious masked boy. "Thank-you, I've been tracking Zabuza for a long time, waiting for this chance to finally take him down." The boy said as he bowed his head in thanking. "By your mask, I see that you're a tracker ninja from the Village Hidden in the Mist," Kakashi deduced.

"Impressive, you're well informed." was the boy's reply.

"A tracker!" Naruto skidded to a stop in front of his squad-mates.

"Naruto, you don't even know what that is! You missed the lesson on it as usual. Tracker ninja have a special role, try coming to class sometime. When a rogue ninja breaks away from his village, he carries all kinds of secrets with him, the secrets of his people. Trackers are specially trained to hunt down these ninja and eliminate them. That way, the secrets of their people remain secrets." Sakura explained. "That's correct. I'm a member of the elite tracking unit of the Village Hidden in the Mist. It was my duty to stop Zabuza." The boy informed.

Kakashi gave the tracker a calculating stare as a moment of silence passed by. Suddenly, Naruto ran up to the tree and growled, looking from the boy to Zabuza and then back. "What is this? Who do you think you are?!" He shouted, pointing a finger at the ninja in the tree. "Did you hear me?" He snarled.

"Easy, Naruto. He's not our enemy." Kakashi attempted to calm him pupil.

"That's not the point! Did you see what he did, just like that?! Zabuza was huge and powerful like some kind of monster and this kid, who's no bigger than me, he brought down Zabuza with one move! Like it was nothing! I mean, what does that make us? We're just fumbling around, we don't know anything! How can I accept that?!" Naruto shouted, frustrated and angry, mostly at himself. Kakashi walked over to Naruto and placed a hand on his head. "Well, even if you don't accept it, still, it did happen, Naruto. In this world, there are kids who are younger than you, and yet, stronger than me."

Naruto turned to look at the other boy, who vanished in a gust of wind. He then reappeared next to Zabuza, the leaves rustling at his arrival. He slung the lifeless man's arm over his shoulders and turned to the other ninjas. "Your struggle is over for now, I must deal with the remains. There are many secrets in this body, they must not be allowed to get into the wrong hands. Please excuse me, farewell." And with another small whirlwind, the boy and Zabuza were gone.


	6. Chapter 5

**Chakra Training and A Hero's Tale**

"He disappeared!" Naruto exclaimed. Kakashi sighed and pulled his headband back over his eye as Naruto ran to where the Tracker Ninja was mere moments before. "He's gone, Naruto, let it go." Kakashi said gently. In response, Naruto growled before pounding at the ground with his fists. "What are we doing here? We're nothing! I can't believe it!" He ground out through clenched teeth. Kakashi walked forward and grabbed Naruto's wrist. "As ninja, the things we encounter are never easy. Save your anger, for the next enemy," he then let go of his student's wrist and turned to the others, "we haven't completed our mission yet. We still have to get the bridge-builder to his bridge,"

Tazuna barked out a small laugh before speaking, "sorry I caused all this trouble for ya, but, you can rest at my house when we get to the village." He offered.

"All right, lets get a move on!" Kakashi raised his voice so that the others could hear him clearly. He turned, and began to lead the way through the mist. Mayumi noticed that Kakashi hadn't even taken two steps before he froze, as if he was paralysed. Then, he fell forward, landing on the ground with a loud 'thump'. "What… What happened?" Sakura asked, panicking.

"Kakashi Sensei… Kakashi Sensei!" Naruto shouted, very alarmed.

The four Genin and Tazuna had managed to drag… erm… _carry_ Kakashi to the village, where he now lay in a bed in Tazuna's house. "Waking up, huh?" Tazuna's daughter asked, peering over Kakashi. "Are you alright?"

"I've been better, it'll be a week before I can move normally," Kakashi replied, trying to sit up. "See? It's better if you don't move, so just lie down." She advised, though it sounded more like a command. "Right," he lay back down with a sigh. Naruto, Sakura, Sasuke, Mayumi and Tazuna walked into the room, "look, the Sensei's coming around!" Naruto informed happily, a hint of surprise in his voice. "Listen Sensei, your Sharingan is amazing and everything, but if it puts that much strain on you then maybe it's not worth it," Sakura reasoned, kneeling next to Kakashi. "Sorry," he said, his tone of voice weary and tired.

"Well, he did take down one of the most powerful ninja assassins, so we'll be safe for a while." Tazuna pointed out.

"Right. But, you know that boy with the mask, what about him?" Sakura asked, raising her hand to her chin in thought. "He's from the Elite Tracking Unit of the Village Hidden in the Mist. Those masks are only worn by the most elite shinobi." Kakashi replied. "What exactly do they do?" Sakura queried.

"The ANBU Black Ops, also known as the Inferno Squad, destroy all traces of a rogue ninja's corpse. The shinobi's body contains many secrets, Ninjutsu, Chakra, special medicines used on his body. These are the secrets of his village, if his enemies find them, his people will be in great danger. For instance, if I were to die at the hands of an enemy, he would try to analyse my Sharingan. In the worst case, my entire Jutsu could be stolen and used against our home village. It is the sacred duty of the Shinobi Trackers to prevent this, to keep the village's secrets safe. If a ninja betrays his village, the trackers hunt him down, eliminate him and obliterate every trace of his existence, that's their specialty." Kakashi explained to his pupils.

Kakashi sat up again, though he remained strangely silent. _'What is this? Zabuza is finished, why do I feel this way? Something's wrong. It's like I missed something…'_

"Hey, are you okay? Sensei?" Naruto's voice snapped Kakashi out of his thoughts. "Huh? Oh, yeah… to finish what I was saying, Tracker Ninja deal with the body immediately, on the spot, so there's no room for error." He finished.

"Is that really important?" Sakura asked skeptically.

"Think about it, do you remember what that Tracker did with Zabuza's body?" Kakashi asked in return. "We don't know what he did. I mean, I guess he took it away somewhere," Sakura answered, unsure.

"Exactly, why? He should have worked on Zabuza right there, as quickly as possible. Think of the weapons he used for the takedown, do you remember what they were?" He questioned them. A feeling in her gut told Mayumi that this was something very important.

"Throwing needles… no way!" Sasuke realised quickly.

"Exactly, none of it adds up," Kakashi pointed out. A thoughtful muteness descended upon them, though, it was short lived. "What are you all yammering about? You demolished that assassin!" Tazuna said in a somewhat gruff tone. "Here's the truth, Zabuza is still alive." Kakashi deadpanned.

"But we saw his body, believe it!"

"Kakashi Sensei, you checked him yourself, you said that his heart stopped!"

"His heart did stop. But, that was just a temporary state, to simulate death. The weapons that Tracker used are called senbon. They can pierce deeply but rarely kill, unless they hit a vital organ, _not_ in the neck. They're modified from needles used for medical treatments like acupuncture. Trackers are trained to know every detail of the human body. Causing the heart to stop temporarily while keeping the body alive is an easy matter for them. First, he carried Zabuza's body away, even though it's much heavier than he is. Second, he used senbon, which have a precise effect, but are rarely fatal. From these two factors, we can conclude that the Tracker wasn't trying to destroy Zabuza, he was trying to save him." Kakashi summarised. "Come on, you're over-thinking this, aren't you?" Tazuna questioned, trying to sound nonchalant. "'Encountering suspicion, the ninja prepares quickly. Hesitation leads to disaster.' Every Shinobi knows this saying," Kakashi countered.

"Sensei, you said 'prepare quickly' but how can we do that when you can barely move?" Kakashi chuckled at this before replying,

"I can still train you,"

"Hold on! A little last minute training won't make us strong enough to fight Zabuza! You could barely defeat him, even with your Sharingan! We have to be reasonable about this!" Sakura was quick to point this out.

"Sakura, why was I able to stop Zabuza? Because, you all helped me, you've grown. Naruto, you've grown the most." Kakashi said, the corner of his eye crinkling slightly, showing them that he was smiling.

"So you've noticed, Kakashi Sensei! Now things are gonna get better, believe it!" Naruto exclaimed enthusiastically as his hands formed into fists.

"I don't believe it and nothing's gonna be good!" A voice retorted loudly from behind them. The company of ninja turned to the owner of the voice, a small, black-haired boy with black eyes who was wearing a blue striped hat and a green jumpsuit. "Who are you?" Naruto demanded as he pointed a finger at the child. "Inari, where've you been?" Tazuna exclaimed as the boy ran over to hug his grandfather. "Welcome back, grandpa!"

"Inari, that was very rude! These ninja helped your grandpa and brought him here safely!" His mum scolded, hands on her hips.

"It's Ok, it's Ok, I'm rude to them too," Tazuna chuckled as he patted his grandson's head. "Mum, don't you see these people are gonna die! Gato and his men will come back and find them and wipe them out!" Inari exclaimed loudly.

"What did you say, brat?!" Naruto jumped up and pointed a finger at Inari, "listen up! D'you know what a super ninja is? Well, that's me, only a lot better! I'm gonna be Hokage! This Gato, or Blato or whatever he's called is no match for a real hero like me!"

"Huh, there's no such thing as a hero. You're just full of stupid ideas!" Inari scoffed. "What did you say?!" Naruto demanded as he stepped forward menacingly. Sakura held him back while shouting, "Naruto, calm down!" Inari glanced at them over his shoulder. "If you want to stay alive, you should go back to where you came from." He then turned away and began walking towards the exit. Mayumi snarled at his back, how dare he speak to them like that! They had saved his grandfather's life and now he was being ungrateful to them!

"Inari wait, where are you going?" Tazuna asked.

"To look out at the ocean, I want to be alone!" Was the boy's response as he walked out of the room. Tazuna turned to the ninjas, "sorry about that," he apologised somewhat sheepishly.

Kakashi had been left to rest and everyone had gone to their respective rooms. Well, almost everyone. Mayumi lay on the roof of the house, a habit she picked up from her days at the academy. She wasn't the only one though, there were many other ninja who had developed that habit. After all, being cooped up in a classroom for a whole day does make a person want to get some fresh air.

Sighing, Mayumi redirected her gaze to the clear sky. The whistle that she had kept around her neck was cool against the thin fabric of her white battle kimono. It rested a little above the blue kimono sash, held by a thin, yet resistant piece of string. She began to think about the pain she felt when she saw the Sharingan, when she heard Sasuke's name and surname, when they all introduced themselves to Kakashi, the first time she had used the Great Fireball Jutsu on Kakashi. Mayumi was snapped out of her thoughts when she heard a voice. "No Daddy, no!" It was choked with sobs. She leaned down and peered through one of the windows.

Inari sat there crying and clutching a picture frame. The picture inside depicted a man who was smiling, though the bottom of the picture looked like it had been torn off. Mayumi looked on sadly, the poor child looked truly grieved, but she wasn't sure of what she should do. Her perceptive eyes caught a glint of blue behind the door of the room. _'Naruto?'_ Shrugging mentally, she swung herself back up onto the roof. After a few more minutes of contemplation she headed back inside, thoughts of the recent events never ceasing to whirl around in her head.

The next day, Team 7 rose early to begin their training. "Alright, training starts now," Kakashi announced to his pupils as the five of them stood in a clearing inside the forest. "Right!" Naruto sounded enthusiastic.

"First, we will begin with a review of Chakra, the ninja's basic source of power. Understanding Chakra is essential," Kakashi began.

"We know that," Sasuke pointed out. Mayumi nodded slightly to show that she agreed. "He's right, a long time ago we learned about… uh, Catra." Naruto attempted to add. "Chakra," Kakashi corrected, sighing before continuing, "Go ahead, Sakura."

"Alright, Naruto. I'll explain it simply so you can understand it. Chakra is the elemental life energy a ninja uses in Jutsus. It's the source of all his power. Now, this energy has two forms: physical energy, which exists in all the cells in the entire body all working together. And, spiritual energy: the primal source of power which is intensified through training and experience. As you see, these two types of Chakra must be drawn out and brought together in order to perform Jutsus. Notice the interplay between physical and spiritual power, that's the key. Finally, hand-signs focus and unleash the Chakra." Sakura explained.

"Right on all points. Iruka Sensei really did have some excellent students." Kakashi praised. "Agh! What's the big deal with all these complicated explanations, the whole point is to learn the Jutsu, isn't it?" Naruto questioned. "Naruto's right for once, we're already using Chakra energy in our Jutsus." Sasuke informed. Mayumi remained silent, waiting for Kakashi's reply.

"No, you have not mastered this power, you have barely scratched the surface of it," their Sensei informed.

"What do you mean?!" Naruto shouted.

"Calm down and listen. It's just like Sakura said, you have to draw on physical and spiritual energies and then combine them within yourself. But, how do you do that? Each Jutsu requires different types of Chakra in different proportions. You must select and combine them in exactly the right way. Up to now, you've just guessed at the proportions, hoping they'd come out right. Even if you produce a lot of Chakra, unless you can balance and control it, it's all worthless. The Jutsu won't work at all, or it'll just be a joke. You waste so much energy that way, then you're out of Chakra and you can't fight at all! You're just a target." Kakashi explained.

"Uh, so how do we change that?" Naruto asked as he rubbed the back of his head. "You train so hard that controlling your Chakra becomes second nature. To achieve this goal, you must be ready to put your life on the line." Kakashi told them severely. "What do we have to do?" Sakura questioned, anxious. Kakashi chuckled before answering, "climb a tree."

"Climb a tree?!" They all demanded loudly in unison, incredulousness laced into every word. "That's right. But, there's just one rule: no hands." Kakashi instructed as he held up his own hands for emphasis. "What? You're kidding," Sakura was disbelieving. They had to climb a tree without using their hands, seriously? "Am I?" Kakashi gave them a look that told them that he obviously wasn't. "Lets see," he formed a simple hand-sign to help him focus his Chakra. Then, he neared a tree with the help of his crutches. He set one foot on the trunk and began to walk up it, vertically. "He's climbing…" Naruto said in awe.

"Straight up, and he's only using his feet!" Sakura exclaimed.

"He's taking his time and isn't struggling at all…" Mayumi observed as their Sensei stood on a branch, upside down. He turned to face them. "Well, you get the idea. Focus the Chakra towards the soles of your feet and use it to connect to the tree. This is one way to apply the power of Chakra." Kakashi explained knowledgeably.

"Wait a minute, that's a nice trick but how does it help us fight Zabuza?" Sakura demanded. "It's the only way to fight him, Sakura. That's the entire goal of this training. First, you'll learn to draw a precise amount of Chakra to a precise point in your body. This is difficult, even for advanced ninja. This type of climbing requires a subtle mix of physical and spiritual energy. And, the bottoms of the feet are the most difficult points to focus Chakra. Are you getting the picture? If you can master this, you'll be able to master any Jutsu. Well, theoretically. The second point is to learn to maintain your Chakra levels. When a ninja is focused in battle, it's even harder to control and maintain their Chakra levels, a deadly mistake. To avoid this, maintaining Chakra must become second nature, effortless. Well, I can talk about this all day but that won't advance your skills, will it? You need to apply the power of Chakra through training." He then drew out four Kunai and threw them at the Genin's feet. "Use the Kunai Knife to mark the tree at the highest point you can climb, without using your hands. Then try to get past that mark the next time, and the next. At first, you'll need to run at the tree so your momentum can take you as high as possible, until you get used to it. Ready?"

"I'm more than ready, this is gonna be no sweat all the way, believe it!" Naruto declared as he picked up his Kunai. "Remember what you said, Sensei. I'm the one who's grown the most!" Naruto exclaimed, pointing a finger at Kakashi. "Definitely the one who talk the most. Now, get focused and do it!" He urged, impatient.

The four of them made hand-signs to focus the Chakra and direct it to the soles of their feet. "I've got it! Charge!" Naruto was the first to try, though he barely managed two steps before he fell back down to the ground. Sasuke got further, though he forced too much Chakra to his feet, consequentially making a dent in the bark and getting thrown back to the ground. He slashed the tree with the Kunai and then back flipped off. Mayumi got a little bit further than Naruto, but then the amount of Chakra decreased, so she stumbled back to the ground. _'I see. If I use too much Chakra, I'll just splinter the bark like Sasuke did. But, if I don't use enough, I'll tumble right off like how I did right now, or how Naruto did…'_ She thought as she spotted Naruto rolling on the ground, clutching his head. _'Ouch, that looks painful…'_

"Hey, this is fun!" Sakura's voice sounded out from above. The others glanced up, only to have their gazes meet a waving Sakura, who was perched up on a branch that was high up above all of them, even Kakashi. "Sakura!" Naruto exclaimed, shocked. She laughed a little in return. "Well, looks like Sakura has the most advanced Chakra control out of the four of you. Well done, Sakura." Kakashi commented before praising his student.

"Yeah! Way to go, Sakura! I always knew you were awesome, believe it!" Naruto cheered. Mayumi smiled at Sakura in a friendly manner while Sasuke muttered, "whatever."

"Well, not only does Sakura understand Chakra, she can control and maintain it as well. We spoke about someone becoming Hokage one day, didn't we? Seems Sakura's got the best chance of that, wouldn't you say? And as for the great Uchiha Clan, maybe they're not so great after all." Kakashi stated, trying to motivate his pupils. "That's enough! You talk too much, Sensei!" Sakura yelled while pointing at Kakashi accusingly.

Sasuke, Naruto and Mayumi's gazes met, their eyes shining with determination. Mayumi felt at a slight disadvantage. Naruto had his unwavering resolve and spirit, Sasuke had his advanced abilities. But Mayumi, what did she have? Her mind drifted back to the whistle that hung from her neck, though she quickly dispelled those thoughts. She may not be as determined as Naruto, or as talented as Sasuke, but, she knew that she could beat them both if she put her mind to it.

_'Or maybe not…'_ She thought wearily as she crouched at the foot of her designated tree, panting and looking at the knife marks that went up its trunk. Sasuke was doing the same while Naruto was at the bottom of his tree, clutching his head after falling down yet again. Sakura lay at the base of her tree, panting heavily and looking at them incredulously. Mayumi spotted Naruto going over to Sakura and crouching down to whisper something to her. _'Hmm… maybe he is asking her for advice? Oh well, right now I need to be focusing on this.'_ With that thought in mind, Mayumi rose and resumed her training with a somewhat hardened resolve.

The sun had already begun to creep below the horizon, but, Naruto, Sasuke and Mayumi remained training outside. Sakura had been sent to watch over Tazuna, as she didn't need to train anymore. _'How did she manage to do it so easily?'_ Mayumi asked herself for what seemed the millionth time that day. "Why is it so hard?!" She could hear Naruto yelling. The three panting Genin looked up at the trees. They seemed to loom over them, taunting and mocking them. Their gazes met and they stood up simultaneously, nobody was willing to give in. They all ran at their assigned trees, each determined to reach the top of their's first.

The gloom of the night had already descended upon the clearing. Yet, none of them were relenting. They ran up the trees again, clutching their Kunai tightly. Naruto slashed at his with the knife and then skidded back down to the ground, a small cloud of dust forming around his feet. Mayumi got a little further and marked her tree, before then leaping back down to the ground. Sasuke continued to climb before marking his tree and leaping back down skilfully.

Naruto began to focus his Chakra. Recalling what Sakura had told him, he built it up and charged. "Hey, Naruto," Sasuke's voice caused Naruto to lose his concentration and fall over. "Sasuke! What are you doing? I was trying to focus my Chakra!" Naruto shouted, clearly annoyed.

"Well, er… you know… the thing is…" Mayumi turned to look at Sasuke in disbelief. _'Did Sasuke just hesitate?!'_

"The thing is what?" Naruto questioned, crossing his arms.

"You… You know, you asked Sakura for advice when she was here? So, what did she tell you?" Mayumi and Naruto were both openly staring at Sasuke with wide eyes. Naruto's face split into a giant grin before he answered, "I'm not telling you." Sasuke turned to Naruto, his eye twitching. Mayumi couldn't take it anymore, she burst out laughing, surprising the others. Once she had calmed down, Mayumi turned to look at the others. "Maybe we should be getting back now." They nodded in agreement and the three began to walk back to Tazuna's house.

"This is fantastic, it's been ages since we've had so many guests around our table," Tazuna said as Naruto and Sasuke scarfed down their food as quickly as they could manage. "I want some more!" They yelled simultaneously, holding up their now empty bowls. Then, they turned to the side and were sick.

"Don't eat so much if you're gonna puke it up!" Sakura shouted angrily.

"I have to eat," Sasuke told them, raising his gaze up to the others.

"And I have to eat more than him, it's the only possible way that I'll get strong enough to beat him!" Naruto retaliated, grinning.

"That's true, but puking won't help you." Kakashi informed. All the while, Mayumi had been trying to contain her laughter. This Squad was turning out to be more fun than she had expected.

Later, they all settled down and sat in a comfortable silence. Sakura, who was admiring a picture that was hung up on the wall, spoke up. "Excuse me, this picture is torn, is there some reason for that? Inari, you kept glancing at it all through dinner, it looks like there was someone else in the picture but they got torn out. I mean, that's kinda strange, isn't it?" She asked curiously. Mayumi thought back to when she had seen Inari crying over the photo in his room. Was that the part that had been torn off? "It's my husband." Inari's mother's reply dragged Mayumi out of her thoughts.

"They used to call him a hero in this land," Tazuna stated sombrely. Inari stood up and began to walk away. "Inari, where are you going?" His mum asked. He replied by closing the door behind him. "Father, you can't talk about him like that in front of Inari, you know that!" She scolded as she walked out of the room to find her son.

"Inari's so… I mean, what happened to him?" Sakura asked.

"Hmm… is there a story behind this?" Kakashi asked in a somewhat curious manner. "He wasn't his real father. He came into our family later and he brought so much happiness. He and Inari were very close," Tazuna began slowly. "In those days, Inari used to laugh all of the time, but then…" Tears fell from the bridge builder's eyes as he continued. "All of that ended. He never laughs or smiles anymore, ever since the day everything changed. The word 'courage' was stolen from this island, we were left feeling powerless, hopeless. And Inari suffered the most. Ever since that day, ever since It happened,"

"Tell us, what happened to Inari?" Kakashi pressed.

"First, you need to know about the man, his father. The man who taught us the word 'courage', who was a hero in this land,"

"A hero? Really?" Naruto asked, interested.

"You can decide that for yourself. He came here about three years ago…" Tazuna began to tell the story.

_"Poochie! Poochie, no!" A younger Inari shouted in desperation. Two boys were holding him back while another stood in front of him, holding his dog. They were on a bridge that went over a river, the wind was breezing along, carefree. The dog barked loudly, though he didn't struggle. "That's not his name. Starting today, his name is Shooting Star and he's my dog now!" The boy replied, arrogance apparent in his tone of voice. "No he's not! He's my dog and his name's not Shooting Star! I've had him since he was a puppy, he's my friend and he doesn't belong to you!" Inari shouted, trying to break free from the grips of the other two boys._

_"Just shut up!" The boy shouted back rudely. The dog whimpered and whined. The boy smirked cruelly and threw the dog into the waters below. "Poochie!" Inari cried. The dog struggled to stay afloat, its paws flailing around desperately. "See what happens when you don't listen to me? Now, I'm not going to lift a finger to help him. Okay, you can let him go." The other boy commanded. _

_"Why did you do that? My dog is gonna drown!" Inari shouted._

_"Huh, if he's your dog, then jump in and get him. Be a big hero and save your friend." The other boy said obnoxiously with his arms crossed. "After all that big talk, you're not going to let him go under, are you?" The boy continued. Inari stepped forward to the edge of the bridge, shaking with fear. "He won't even help his precious little Poochie," the boy mocked and taunted. "Hey, you made such a big deal about him, go get him!" With that, the other boy kicked Inari off the bridge._

_Unable to swim, Inari floundered around in a panic. "I think you went too far, Akane. I mean, he could really drown or something…" One of the boys said, unsure of the other's actions. "Forget about it." Akane ordered. _

_"I don't know…" Akane grabbed the boy by the collar and snarled in his face. _

_"You say one more word and you're going in next, got it?" _

_Meanwhile, Inari was still struggling to stay afloat. He waved his arms around, hoping that it would somehow help him to keep the water out of his lungs. "I don't want to die!" He cried, spluttering for air. He swam towards his dog, who had begun to paddle away from him. "Pooch!" He shouted after it as it made its way to shore, shook its pelt dry, and scampered away._

"Interestingly enough, at that exact moment, Pooch figured out how to dog paddle." Tazuna said grimly, before carrying on.

_"Hey, Shooting Star's running away! Get him!" The three boys ran off, abandoning Inari to his fate. His arms began to loose their strength and he went under. He couldn't breath, his lungs were burning ferociously, as if they were on fire. Finally, everything went black. _

_Inari awoke to the faint feel of the sun on his face and the smell of smoke. His eyes blinked open slowly. "Waking up, huh? Finally." A man's voice was heard. Inari sat bolt upright. The man who had spoken was sitting in front of a fire, cooking some fish on a stick. He turned to face Inari, smiling warmly. He was wearing a faded blue fisher's robe, leather trousers and a white rope was tied around his head. He had a small cross-shaped mark on his chin and his hair was brown and spiky. His eyes were an extremely dark brown, almost black, that shone with friendliness. _

_"I had a little talk with those kids, they won't bother you again. Here, eat." He held out one of the fish. "Did you pull me out of the water, mister?" Inari asked as he gazed at the man in wonder. "Have a bite to eat first, then we can talk all about it," the man handed the fish to Inari, who began to eat it hungrily. _

_Inari told the man about what had happened while he listened in silence. Once he had finished, the man spoke up. "Hm… I see, so your dog abandoned you too, huh? In my country, dogs are very loyal, they stand by their masters. Then again, you abandoned the dog first so… what can you expect?" At this, Inari lowered the food and cast his eyes down in shame. _

_"I really wanted to save him but I just froze," the man's eyes softened as he looked at the boy sympathetically. "I was just so scared, I guess that I just don't have any courage," tears began to well up in his eyes. The man placed a hand on Inari's head comfortingly. "Hey, c'mon, don't be so hard on yourself, you're a kid. When I was your age, I was scared too. It's no big deal. But always remember this: Live your life so you have nothing to regret. If you care about something, protect it, no matter how tough, no matter how sad, you've got to keep trying. Even, if you have to put your life on the line, protect it with both arms, never give in!"_

"His name was Kaiza, a simple fisherman who'd come here from another land to follow his dreams. After that, Inari and Kaiza were inseparable. The boy had never known his real father, so you can imagine what it meant to him to have Kaiza in his life. He looked up to him and followed in his footsteps like a real father and son. Kaiza spent more and more time with us until he just naturally became a member of our family. And then, when this town needed him, he became something more," Tazuna's voice was full of respect as he spoke.

_"We've got trouble, Kaiza! The flood gate's open and the water's rising!" A man shouted as he burst into the house. "If we don't stop it, the lower district will be flooded!" He exclaimed, a wild panic in his eyes. _

_"What?" Kaiza demanded, shocked._

_"Father!" Inari called as he stood up from his seat._

_"Inari, get me some rope, hurry!" _

_"Right!" Inari ran off and returned in seconds, holding out some rope to his father._

_Outside, a large group of men were talking hurriedly amongst themselves. "See where the gate is? We need to get a line out there to pull it closed!"_

_"A line?! You have to swim out there to do that! It's impossible, no-one can make it through that current!" Another said disbelievingly._

_"If we don't do it, the whole district will be wiped out! It's the only way!" A man shouted over the rain and the roaring of the water. "I'll do it." Kaiza announced walking over to them. _

_"Kaiza! Don't be foolish, you'll never make it!"_

_"Father," Kaiza ignored the men's remarks and placed a hand on his son's head. "Don't worry, nothing can stop your dad. This is our village so we've got to do everything we can to help," with that, he tied one end of the rope around his waist and dove into the cold, unforgiving waters._

_He fought fiercely against the current, never relenting, never willing to give up. "Father, I know you can do it!" Inari cheered, inspired by Kaiza's determination. Kaiza managed to reach the other side and tie the rope on. The villagers pulled it closed, saving the village from a catastrophic flood._

"From that time on, Kaiza was considered a hero in this land. He taught us all the meaning of courage and Inari was so proud to be his son. But it wasn't long after, that Gato showed up and took over. He terrorised the whole village. Only Kaiza stood up to him. Gato couldn't have the local hero getting in his way. It took his whole gang to stop one man," Tazuna continued to narrate, his tone turning bitter.

_"You overplayed your hand, Kaiza. All that talk about how you are going to protect this village with your two arms, those arms aren't much good now, are they?" Gato taunted the beaten up Kaiza below him, sneering maliciously. "Still got that defiant look in your eye, though. Well, my men will get rid of that," he cackled cruelly. "Get to work on him." He commanded. The men forced Kaiza onto the ground brutally. They held two gigantic hammers, which they brought up menacingly. The hammers came down simultaneously, Kaiza didn't even notice the gut-wrenching shout that had erupted from him, before everything went black._

_The members of the village stood around the courtyard, a fence separating them from what was transpiring on the other side. Kaiza was hung up on a pole while Gato and one of his men stood beside him. The villagers murmured, unnerved. "Listen up! This man has defied the Gato Corporation, he has disturbed the order of this land. We have brought you here to witness his punishment. Let this be an example so no-one will dare stand in our way again." All the while, Inari clung to the fence, tears streaming down his face. "Father!" He sobbed._

_"Inari, don't…" one of the villagers hushed, though Inari payed no heed to them. Kaiza raised his head and gave Inari a small, lopsided smile. _

_"Do it." Gato commanded mercilessly. As Gato's goon drew his sword, Inari wept frantically. "Father, no!" Kaiza continued to smile at Inari, for Inari. "Daddy!" Inari shouted, hoping desperately for some kind of miracle to happen. But, none came. _

"Since then Inari's changed. So did Tsunami and all our people. We lost our will." Tazuna finished, defeat laced into his words. Without warning, Naruto stood up and took a step to leave. Instead though, he fell face first on the floor. "What are you doing down there, Naruto?" Sakura was the first to speak.

"You'd better take the day off, no more training . You've used too much Chakra, if you push any harder, it could kill you." Kakashi advised. Naruto looked up at them, his eyes flashing. "I'm gonna prove it,"

"Prove what?" An edge of scorn was added to Sakura's words.

"I'll prove that it's true! That in this world, there are real heroes!" Naruto declared, his whole body trembling from its lack of Chakra, though a determined glint was in his eyes.

The next day, all of them, excluding Naruto, were sitting at the table for breakfast. "Naruto's not here? Looks like he was out all night again," Tazuna commented. "He's gone completely crazy, he's out climbing trees in the dark. He could be dead by now, you know, from using up too much of his Chakra." Sakura replied. "Well, I certainly hope that he's Ok. A child spending the night in the woods alone…" Tsunami said, a hint of worry in her voice.

"There's nothing to worry about. Naruto's a goofy kid, but he's also a full-fledged ninja. I know that he can handle himself." Kakashi reassured calmly.

"Sakura's right, Naruto's such a loser. He's probably lying out there dead somewhere." Mayumi snarled slightly, Naruto was not a loser! _'Wasn't he the one who came up with the plan to save Kakashi from Zabuza? Wasn't he?!'_ Mayumi shouted mentally, though her expression remained impassive on the outside.

Sasuke rose from his seat and began making his way to the door. "Sasuke?" Sakura questioned. Sasuke didn't even turn to face her when he answered, "I'm going for a walk." The door closed behind him.

"But we just started eating," Sakura called after him. She turned back to look at his plate of food, which was surprisingly empty. "Huh? That was fast," she said, her eye twitching. Inari, on the other hand, hadn't even touched his food.

"Naruto! Knowing Naruto, he could be anywhere, and Sasuke hasn't come back either. I wonder where they are," Sakura said as she, Mayumi and Kakashi stood in the clearing. Out of nowhere, a kunai flew at them, burying itself into the earth at their feet. They looked up, trying to find out where the kunai came from.

Naruto was lying on a tree branch on his front, grinning down at them. "Wow… Naruto can climb that high now using his Chakra? That's great," Sakura said, a little bit of awe in her voice. "What do you think, high enough for you guys? I mean, it's a long way down, huh?" Naruto jumped up so that he was standing on the branch. Unfortunately for him, he tripped and began to fall backwards. "Naruto!" Sakura shouted.

"Uh-oh," Kakashi sounded more exasperated than anything else. Mayumi just looked on, curious as to what would happen next. Instead of falling off the branch, Naruto swung so that he was hanging upside down on it, his Chakra enhanced feet keeping him connected to the tree. He turned his head to look at them, grinning wildly. "Just kidding! You guys really fell for it!" He laughed crazily.

"We were worried about you, Naruto!" Sakura yelled up at him, severely annoyed.

"Why do I think that this is going to end badly?" Kakashi asked himself wearily.

Just as Kakashi had finished saying that, Naruto's feet unstuck themselves from the branch. "You just had to push it, didn't ya? Showoff!" Sakura shouted, her rage incurred. Naruto began to plummet downwards, yelling as he did so.

Out of nowhere, Sasuke ran up the tree and grabbed Naruto's leg, stopping him. "You really are a total loser, Naruto." He stated, looking down at said Ninja.

"All right, Sasuke! You're the best!" Sakura cheered. Mayumi resisted the urge to roll her eyes as she made her way over to the two boys. She then summoned the Chakra to her feet and climbed up to help them. Once they were all back on the ground, they decided to get back home.

That night, three figures were perched upon the peaks of three trees. The moon shone brightly, illuminating their faces with its eerie glow. "Lets go back," Sasuke, one of the figures, suggested. "All right!" Another figure, Naruto, exclaimed.

"Ok then." The last figure, Mayumi agreed.

"Now they're both late. I wouldn't have expected that from Sasuke," just as Sakura had said that, the door opened, revealing a very scruffy looking Sasuke helping out an equally scratched and bruised Naruto. Mayumi was beside them, looking just as messy as the other two.

"What have you been up to? You look like something the cat dragged in," Tazuna commented once he took in their beat-up forms. Naruto raised his head. "We all made it, we climbed all the way to the top!" He declared triumphantly.

"Good, now we move on. Starting tomorrow, the three of you will be bodyguards for Tazuna." Kakashi informed, much to Naruto's glee.

"All right!" He yelled, knocking both himself and Sasuke to the ground.

"You are such a loser!" Everyone laughed at Sasuke's comment, excluding Inari.

Once they had finished their meal, they all sat there surrounded by a comfortable atmosphere. "In just a few more days, the bridge will be finished. I have you to thank for that," Tazuna said gratefully to the ninjas.

"You've all done great but you've still got to be careful," Tsunami warned, concerned. "I've been meaning to ask you this, but I haven't had the chance until now. Why did you stay and protect me, even after you found out that I had lied to bring you here?" Tazuna queried, his tone of voice a little sheepish.

"'Those who stray from the path of justice have no courage. But under the wing of a strong leader, cowardice cannot survive'. That was a quote from the First Hokage." Was Kakashi's answer.

A few tears leaked out of Inari's eyes, darkening the wooden table with every drop. "But why?" Inari struggled out, his voice cracking slightly.

"What did you say?" Naruto asked, now looking at the boy. Inari slammed his hands onto the table and stood up. "All of this stupid training is just a waste of time! Gato's got a whole army, they'll beat you down and they'll destroy you! These cool things you all say, they don't mean anything! No matter what you do, the strong always win and the weak always lose!"

"Just speak for yourself, it won't be like that for me, you got that?" Naruto retorted. "Why don't you be quiet! Just looking at you makes me sick! You don't know anything about this country, you're just butting in! Always laughing and playing around, you don't know what it's like to suffer and be treated like dirt!" Inari exploded, shouting at the ninjas, mainly Naruto, fiercely.

This time, it was Naruto's turn to explode. "Listen to yourself whining and complaining like some sorry little victim! You can whimper all day for all I care! You're nothing but a coward!"

"Naruto you went too far!" Sakura attempted to rebuke him. Naruto simply stood up and left, grumbling a little as he did so.

Having heard enough, Mayumi stood, feeling sickened. "Stop being so narrow-minded! You think that you're the only one with troubles? You're not the only one able to feel pain! You should consider yourself lucky! Stop assuming things that you don't even know one bit about, it makes me sick! You make me sick!" The venom wrapped around her words was shocking, no-one had expected someone like her to say something like that. Then, she left too, fury radiating off her in waves. Everyone stayed silent, except for Inari, who was sobbing, his shoulders shaking uncontrollably.

That night, Mayumi felt restless, so she went to lay on the ceiling again. Below her, Inari was sitting on the floor and looking out at the ocean. She recalled what she had said to him, her eyes widening when she realised that she had meant all of it, she really did hate it when people assumed things that they had no clue about. "Can I talk to you?" She heard her Sensei's voice. Mayumi peered down to see Kakashi taking a seat next to Inari.

"Naruto can be a little… harsh sometimes, but he doesn't hate you. Your grandfather told us what happened, to your father. You probably don't know this but, Naruto also grew up without a father. In fact, he never knew either of his parents, and he didn't have a single friend in our village. Still, I've never seen him cry, sulk or give up. He's always eager to jump in. He wants to be respected, that's his dream and he'll put his life on the line for that, in a heartbeat. My guess is that he just got tired of crying and decided to do something about it. Even though he's young and still learning, he knows what it means to be strong, like your father did. I think he knows better than any of us, what you're going through. What Naruto told you earlier, as cruel as it sounded, he's probably told himself that a thousand times. As for Mayumi, well, I personally don't know much about her apart from that she is quiet and very perceptive. I guess that maybe, she doesn't like it when people are blind to the things around them. Because of her perceptive skills, she can see that better than anyone and can probably get frustrated when no-on else can see as much as she does. She doesn't hate you, she just… doesn't like your blindness. I'm not sure but maybe, she doesn't enjoy being insulted, or having her friends insulted either, for that matter. She doesn't know hardly anything about a past, not even enough to know her own surname. Not even I know that, but my guess is, that whatever may had happened when she was younger, has affected the way she is now." Mayumi decided to block out the rest to get some sleep. Sh slunk back into her room and fell asleep, her mind somewhat eased, though new troubles had surged within it. _'What did happen in my past? Why am I unable to remember hardly any of it?'_


	7. Chapter 6

**Team 7 Vs Haku And Zabuza and Sasuke's Fall**

The next morning, the ninjas headed off to the bridge with Tazuna. Well, all of them apart from Naruto, who was still sleeping upstairs. "Okay, I'll leave Naruto in your hands. He's pushed his body to the limit, overdoing it as usual. So, he may not be able to move today at all." Kakashi informed Tsunami.

"What about you? You're still recovering yourself," Tsunami's concern for others never ceased to amaze Mayumi, she really respected the woman for that. "Why, do I look wobbly?" Kakashi chuckled. "I'll be Ok."

"C'mon, lets go!" Tazuna began to lead them to the bridge.

"Oh God! What the heck is this?!" They had just arrived at the bridge. The workers lay strewn about on the floor, some wounded and others presumably dead. "What happened? Someone was here, someone got to them!" Tazuna's usually gruff voice was laced heavily with fear.

An all too familiar mist descended upon them, fogging up their vision. "This mist… Sasuke, Sakura, Mayumi, get ready!" Kakashi warned as the four ninjas formed a protective circle around Tazuna. Mayumi saw Sasuke and Sakura reach for kunais out of the corner of her eye. She mimicked their actions, her knuckles turning white from the force of her grip. "I knew he was still alive, I just couldn't wait for round two." Mayumi was surprised that their Sensei could still have a little bit of humorousness at a time like this. "Kakashi Sensei, it's Zabuza, isn't it? This is his Hidden Mist Jutsu." Sakura stated more than asked.

"Sorry that I kept you waiting, Kakashi. I see you've still got those brats with you, that one's still trembling, pitiful." Zabuza mocked from the shadows. The next second, he revealed himself in the form of Water Clones, surrounding Squad Seven. Sasuke smirked before retorting, "I'm trembling with… excitement."

"Go on, Sasuke." Kakashi encouraged, pleased by his student's confidence. Sasuke's feet left the ground and returned in a flash. The next moment, all of the Water Clones burst and landed in puddles on the floor. _'Wow, that was so fast! I hardly even saw it happen!'_ Mayumi looked at the Uchiha in awe.

"So you could see that they were Water Clones, huh? The brat's improving, looks like you've got a rival, Haku."

"So it seems." Was Haku's impassive reply. Mayumi recognised him as the Tracker Ninja that they had encountered in the forest.

"Well, well, so I had it right, it was all an act with a cute little mask." Kakashi drawled. "Fake phoney." Sasuke threw in.

"So I guess all that about being a Tracker Ninja protecting his village was just a bunch of bull." Tazuna added, for verification.

"They look pretty chummy to me. I'd say they've been pulling scams like that for a long time." Kakashi deduced while keeping alert.

"He's got some nerve, facing us again after pulling that trick!" Sakura sounded a little offended. "And hiding behind a mask, who does he think he's fooling?" Kakashi's words sounded a little harsh in Mayumi's opinion, but she decided to keep quiet. "Speak for yourself, Sensei," Sakura said, clearly reminding everyone that Kakashi also wore a mask. "That's it, I'm taking him out. Who does he think he's fooling, hiding behind that mask like some sort of clown."

_'Didn't Kakashi Sensei just say that?'_ Mayumi questioned mentally. Nonetheless, Sakura still decided to 'cheer' for Sasuke. "Sasuke, you're so cool!"

"He's impressive." Haku commented, his voice still emotionless. "Even though they were just one-tenth the strength of the original Water Clone Jutsu, he did destroy them all."

"That move still gave us the first advantage, now use it." Zabuza commanded, leaving no room for argument. "Right." Haku acknowledged. He spun at Sasuke at an incredible speed, causing the latter to smirk. Finally, a challenge!

Sasuke and Haku leapt at each other, the kunai and the senbon met with a loud scraping sound. "Sensei, can I help him?" Mayumi asked, Haku seemed to be way above their level, too much for just one person to handle. Kakashi nodded in response before turning back to Zabuza. Mayumi drew out a kunai and leapt at Haku, who managed to dodge it without relenting his attack on Sasuke.

"Sakura, cover Tazuna and stay close to me, let Sasuke and Mayumi handle this." Kakashi instructed as Sakura darted to the bridge builder's side. Mayumi and Sasuke had both of their kunais up against Haku's senbon. They put pressure on the needle, but it stayed strong.

"If you back down, I won't have to kill you." Haku told his adversaries. "Save it." Sasuke dismissed, smirking.

"Though, if _you_ back down, we won't have to kill you," Mayumi played with her opponent's words, a small smirk tugging at the edge of her lips. "You're making a mistake, you won't be able to keep up with my speed," Haku warned, almost pleading them not to fight. Did he not want to stop them? "I've gained two key advantages,"

"Yeah? What are they?" Sasuke prodded.

"First, we're surrounded by water. Second, I've blocked one of each of your hands. Therefore, you only have one free hand to defend yourselves with," Upon saying this, Haku raised one hand and formed a sign. He began to make more signs, as if for a Jutsu of some kind. _'He can perform Jutsus with just one hand? How?'_ Mayumi had never heard of this before.

"Secret Jutsu, A Thousand Needles of Death." This reminded Mayumi of the 'Secret Finger Jutsu', though before she could react any further, Haku stepped down on one of the puddles, sending droplets of water into the air. The droplets turned into sharp, piercing needles. The needles sped at them at a dangerously fast speed as they gleamed in the dull mist.

As if possessed by the same mind, both Mayumi and Sasuke began focusing Chakra to their feet. A second before the needles could make impact against them, they leapt upwards, throwing Haku back. They threw shuriken at him, causing him to leap backwards, out of their reach.

They then dashed behind Haku simultaneously. "You're not as fast as you think! From this point on, you'll be the one defending against our attacks." Sasuke stated, smirking. The three ninja separated, each whirling around to face their opponent. First, Haku and Sasuke clashed, the latter throwing another kunai at the former, who dodged it by crouching. Then, Mayumi leapt in, aiming a kick at Haku. It seemed as if Sasuke had similar ideas too, as he also sent a kick flying at their foe. Their feet collided with his mask-clad face, sending him soaring backward. Haku landed on his back in a puddle, sending water everywhere. "Thought you were quicker, huh? Now what else are you wrong about?" Sasuke taunted as he grasped his kunai.

"Haku, if we keep going like this, we'll be the victims instead of them, get on with it!" Zabuza commanded harshly. "Right." Was all Haku said before streams of blue energy began to appear around him. "What's that?" Sasuke questioned, suspicious. "I'm sorry that it's come to this," was all Haku said in reply.

"The air… it's so cold," Sasuke commented quietly as he adopted a more defensive stance. "Yeah…" Mayumi agreed, mirroring his actions. Haku held up a single hand-sign in silence. "Secret Jutsu, Crystal Ice Mirrors!" Haku finally called out as water began to rise up around the two raven-haired Genin. It turned into blocks of ice, until the unfortunate ninjas were encased inside a semi-sphere of ice mirrors. Haku then walked up to one of the mirrors and merged himself inside it. Then, his image was reflected into all of the mirrors, making it look like there were many of him surrounding the two squad-mates. "Mirrors!" Said ninjas realised at the same time.

"But… how?" Sasuke put Mayumi's thoughts into spoken words.

"Now, we'll begin. And I'll show you what speed really means." With that, Haku and his reflections drew out senbon. The next second, those needles were raining down on Sasuke and Mayumi like a literal shower of pain. Unable to dodge the lighting-fast projectiles, the two Genin braced themselves against the senbon, gritting their teeth together. Sasuke was forced to drop the kunai, while Mayumi slipped hers back into her weapon's pouch. She regretted it immediately afterward, as a needle struck her arm.

Out of the corner of her eye, Mayumi was able to see Sakura throw a kunai at Haku, who, shockingly caught it in one hand without even sparing it a glance. Sasuke fell to the ground, still conscious but badly cut up. Mayumi followed suit a second later, landing on her knees. Neither of them were in a good state, as they were panting, exhausted and in pain.

Two shuriken whizzed past Haku, who barely dodged them. Dodging them though, had come with a price as he fell out of the ice mirror. As Haku got back up, a cloud of smoke erupted upon the bridge. It cleared to reveal Naruto, who exclaimed loudly, "Naruto Uzumaki is here! Yeah, believe it!"

"Now that I'm here, everything will be alright!" Naruto declared confidently. "You know how in stories, the hero usually shows up at the last minute and then kicks butt? Well that's what I'm gonna do right now, believe it!" He yelled as he pointed a finger at Zabuza and Haku.

"All right! You're history! Shadow Clone Jutsu!" Zabuza turned and threw an array of shuriken at Naruto. "No! Naruto, move!" Kakashi shouted, his eye wide. Naruto was unable to move as the shuriken grew closer and closer. Quick as a flash, Haku pulled out some senbon and threw them, intercepting the shuriken. Both groups of weapons clattered to the floor harmlessly.

"They didn't get him," Sakura said, in shock.

"Their weapons canceled each other out, amazing! Now that's what I call lucky, I think," Tazuna was also surprised, how had some mere needles stopped a bunch of shuriken? "What are you doing, Naruto?! Are you crazy?!" Sakura shouted.

"This is a battle, not a talent show! Don't let your opponent see your Jutsu! The Shinobi's art is deception, always keep the enemy guessing. Even when executing a single Jutsu, one must distract their opponent's attention, catch them off balance and outmanoeuvre them. You just turned yourself into a human target when you entered the battle like that!" Kakashi rebuked, taking the chance to re-teach something to his student at the same time. "Agh! I'm sorry! I was just trying to rescue everybody!" Naruto apologised frantically.

"But, there's another mystery here," Kakashi said, turning his head to face Haku.

"Haku, what are you doing?" Zabuza demanded angrily.

"Zabuza, this boy, let me fight hime my own way, please," Haku requested.

"Bring it on!" Naruto exclaimed, shifting into a battle stance.

"So you want me to leave this to you… is that it, Haku? As usual, you're too soft," Zabuza sneered a little at the last part. "Forgive me," Haku bowed his head in what looked like shame. Looking down to inspect her wounds, Mayumi noticed that she had only been cut, no vital spots had been hit. _'Maybe Zabuza is right, maybe Haku is a bit 'soft'. But why? Shouldn't he have killed us by now, or at least tried to?'_ These thoughts raced through Mayumi's mind. Thoughts akin to these also roamed Sasuke's head as he tried to figure out the answers. Wasn't Haku trying to kill them?

"I'm warning you, one way or another, I'm gonna rip off that mask and take you apart!" Naruto declared loudly, pointing an obnoxious finger at Haku. "That mask, and your bogus story, you were with Zabuza all along! You think you can get away with a stunt like that?!" Naruto demanded, enraged.

"I'm sorry, but as your Sensei said, deceiving your opponent, catching them off guard, that is the art of the Shinobi. Please don't take it personally," Haku apologised and justified, surprising Naruto.

Sasuke swiftly drew out a kunai and quickly flung it at Haku, fiercely. Quicker than the eye could see, Haku dodged the weapon. "I haven't forgotten about you, not for an instant." Haku stated, not even turning to look at Sasuke. Mayumi edged a kunai out of her pouch, only to be stopped by Haku's words. "I haven't forgotten you either." Letting the knife slide back into its pouch, Mayumi sighed in frustration. Then, Haku turned to face the two imprisoned Genin. "Some warriors accept defeat gracefully, they know when they are beaten, others do not. So be it, let us finish our battle then… to the death!" Haku then proceeded to enter one of the mirrors while promising Naruto that they would fight next.

"I'm behind you," startled, Sasuke and Mayumi didn't have time to react before the reflections began to spread onto every mirror. More needles rained down upon them, knocking them to the ground. "Sasuke, do you think that maybe he has clones inside the mirrors throwing needles at us too? He can't be sending all of those needles at us on his own, right?" Mayumi asked, her cuts stinging violently. Sasuke thought for a moment before replying. "No, it can't be, they're too fast for that. He wouldn't need the ice mirrors if it was a Clone Jutsu. The mirrors must be the key to his attacks, but the attacks are too fast for us to be able to tell where they are coming from." Mayumi nodded in understanding, they had to find out what the mirrors where for.

"Sasuke, Mayumi, Naruto, think! You need to attack from the outside and from the inside at the same time!" Kakashi called out, trying to help his students.

_'This will help us figure out how the mirrors work!'_ Mayumi realised. Her heart nearly leaped out of her chest as Naruto's face appeared in front of hers. "Hey, I snuck in here to save you guys!" He whispered enthusiastically. "Pretty cool move, huh guys?" His voice echoed painfully in the sudden silence, causing Mayumi to wince inwardly. "Naruto, you sneak up on your enemy, not your ally," Kakashi explained, closing his eye in an exasperated manner. "You are a complete loser! You're a Shinobi, think carefully before you move!" Sasuke shouted, beyond irritated. "What the heck's your problem?! You should thank me for coming in here to help you!" Naruto shouted back. Mayumi made a placating gesture with her hands. "If we're both inside here… forget it! I've had it with your mistakes!" Sasuke shouted as he glared at Naruto. "And I've had it with your attitude, believe it!" Naruto yelled back loudly as he matched the glare. _'And I've had it with your arguing…'_ Mayumi spoke mentally, not daring to say anything out loud that may infuriate the other two even more.

"That's it! I'm gonna destroy these mirrors right now! Fire style," Sasuke declared, forming two hand-signs. Another pang of pain flew through Mayumi's head. _'Do… Do I know this Justu?'_ She asked herself. She realised in a matter of seconds, the Great Fireball Jutsu! Mayumi quickly formed the hand-signs to aid Sasuke and make the attack stronger. "Fire style," Mayumi said quietly.

"Hey, what attack are you using?" Naruto questioned, a little alarmed.

"These mirrors are made of ice, so how do you destroy ice? Figure it out." Was Sasuke's answer. "Great Fireball Jutsu!" Mayumi and Sasuke called out in unison, sending the fire against the ice. Sasuke glanced at Mayumi, a faint flicker of surprise visible in his eyes. _'Only the Uchiha Clan get to learn that Justu at this age, how does she know it?'_ Mayumi remained oblivious to this as she felt her Chakra being dragged out of her body and into the attack.

The ice though, remained intact. The last of the flames died away, no sign left over to show that they were ever once there. "That didn't do anything at all!" Naruto yelled angrily as he jumped to his feet. "You'll need much more heat than that to melt this ice," Haku informed them, his voice emotionless.

Haku then pulled out some senbon. The mirrors were illuminated with a blinding light that blasted back the three unfortunate, trapped ninjas. "Where is he? Where is the needle attack coming at us from? Are they clones?" Naruto questioned quickly as he rose to his feet along with the others. "We've got to find the real one! Which one is it?"

"Look into every mirror as hard as you like, you will never learn the secret." Was all Haku said. "Oh yeah? Shadow Clone Justu!" Naruto exclaimed.

"No! Don't!" Sasuke's warning came too late.

"No!" As did Mayumi's.

The clones leapt out of the smoke and up at the mirrors. "You've got a hundred mirrors, well a hundred of me will smash them all! Then I'll find where you really are!" Naruto shouted confidently. Without warning, the clones all disappeared and Naruto was sent back, crashing into the ground, covered in cuts.

"These mirrors reflect my image, allowing me to transport myself at light-speed. Through my eyes, you appear to be moving in slow-motion." Haku told them, shocking them.

"I knew it! It's a Bloodline Trait, Kekkei Genkai!" Kakashi realised, shocked. Zabuza chuckled darkly. "Kekkei Genkai? What is it?" Sakura queried, curious.

"It's like my Sharingan, you can't learn it, it has to be in your blood, in your genetic code, passed down from generation to generation within a single clan," Kakashi explained grimly. "But that means…" Sakura trailed off.

"Yes, even I can't copy that Jutsu. There's no way to destroy it and no way to stop it." Their Sensei finished, his tone of voice even more grim than before.

"I couldn't break through, so what? He's not gonna stop me! I'm not giving up and I'm not gonna lose here, because I have a dream and no-ones going to take it away from me! Someday, I'll be respected in my village, that's my dream! To be the greatest Hokage!" Naruto yelled, determination and perseverance burning bright in his eyes.

"It was not my desire to be a Shinobi, it's painful. I don't want to kill you, but if you advance, I will have no choice. Then I will kill the kindness in my own heart, and fully embrace the Shinobi way. And there will be no mercy, no turning back. This bridge will be the battlefield where our dreams collide. Now I must fight for my dream, just as you fight for yours. Please do not blame me, I fight for someone who is precious to me. I live for him, and I'd face death for him, so that his dream may become reality. That is my dream. And for the sake of that dream, if I must, I will act as a Shinobi and take your lives." Haku's words rang in the air ominously as he raised a few senbon into his hand. Naruto, Sasuke and Mayumi all wore similar smirks, though some were bigger than others. Now this, was going to be an interesting battle.

"Sasuke, Mayumi, Naruto, take this guy out! You can do it!" Sakura cheered loudly, though she wasn't smiling. "Don't, Sakura. Don't push them. Even if they somehow found a way to overcome the Mirror Jutsu, they still couldn't defeat this ninja." Kakashi said sombrely. "But how can you be so sure?" Sakura asked, confused. Zabuza's shoulders shook with a malicious laughter while Kakashi explained to his student, "they have the desire to win, but they don't have the instinct to kill. That boy is a whole other breed, he lives for pain, he thrives on it."

"Exactly, your village has become complacent, your trainees never learn the most important lesson of all, 'to kill the feelings in their own hearts, to crush an opponent mercilessly, to destroy with no emotion or regret,'" Zabuza said, his voice just above a growl. "But then… Sensei, what are we gonna do? Please tell us!" Sakura asked, a tone of despair tainting her voice.

Kakashi's left hand tensed into a fist and then relaxed, before moving up to his headband. He was going to use the Sharingan. "Sharingan… you're no fun, Kakashi, using the same old trick." Zabuza sneered while he slipped a hand into his pocket and charged. He pulled out a kunai and aimed at Kakashi's face, who pulled up his other hand to stop the blow. The kunai pierced his right hand's palm, blood was already beginning to ooze out of the new wound.

"If it's just and 'old trick', then why did you just stop me?" Kakashi taunted, though his voice struggled to remain strong through the pain. Zabuza didn't seem to notice though, as he just replied snidely, "let your opponent see your Jutsu too many times, and he'll find a way to use it against you." Kakashi only retorted, "then count yourself lucky, you're the only man alive who's seen my Sharingan twice. Show's over, there won't be a third time."

"Even if you did defeat me, you'd have no chance against Haku. When I found him, he was just a street kid, but I trained him in the most advanced ninja techniques. I taught him everything I know. Plus, he has his special abilities that he refined on his own. The boy developed quickly, soon he could face the most powerful enemy. Outnumbered, in total darkness, it didn't matter, he could strike with perfect accuracy. He cared nothing for his own life, or the lives of others, he'd become a unique fighting machine, a Shinobi. In the end, his powers surpassed even mine, his Bloodline Trait, the Kekkei Genkai, cannot be defeated by anyone. I've created a tool that can destroy anything that stands in my way, unlike the useless punks who follow you around!" Zabuza yanked the kunai out of Kakashi's hand. The latter didn't even wince, to his credit.

Meanwhile, inside the prison of ice mirrors, Naruto shouted in frustration. "I didn't get to him! Then I'll try again, as many times as it takes! Shadow Clone Jutsu!" A cloud of smoke obscured Naruto before him and his clones burst out of it. "Naruto! Don't!" Mayumi and Sasuke shouted at the same time, though again, the warning came too late. Haku darted skilfully between the clones, his velocity invisible to the naked eye. Mayumi glanced at Sasuke, who had his eyes fixed on a certain point. Following his gaze, she stared intensely, hoping to find the source of his interest. At first, she didn't see anything. She had to hold in a small gasp because right then, she did see it.

A few droplets of water were violently scattered around in the air whenever Haku passed by, the only indication that he had ever leapt through that spot. Haku threw another shower of needles at the two, while he took down Naruto's clones. The real Naruto was flung back onto the ground, a small puff of smoke rising around him as he landed. "How is he doing that?" Naruto questioned, out of breath. Mayumi nudged Sasuke gently with her elbow, giving him a meaningful look. A flicker of confusion dashed through his eyes before he realised that she had seen it too. "One more time! Shadow Clone Jutsu!" And again, the clones flew up to meet their foe.

Sasuke ran up and kicked some water from a puddle into the air. Mayumi swiftly mimicked his move, sending more droplets to join the first few. "Don't you see that it's useless." It was more of a statement than a rhetorical question. Again, Haku ripped through the clones, though this time, he also slashed at Naruto, Sasuke and Mayumi. The three fell to the floor, grunting as they made impact with the cold, hard surface.

They struggled back up wearily, their muscles screaming in protest. "Shadow Clone Jutsu!" The clones surged forward, their battle cries echoing in the icy prison. Sasuke's and Mayumi's gazes met for an instant, before they both nodded once and began to form hand-signs. An integrated sphere of fire rocketed at Haku's speeding form, throwing him slightly off-course. He quickly recomposed himself and began his next assault.

As Haku sped towards another of the clones, Sasuke and Mayumi sent another fireball flying in his direction. Haku dodged it, albeit a little shakily and took down the rest of the clones, leaving Naruto to plummet to the ground again. Said blond ninja staggered to his feet to join his exhausted, fatigued companions. A smirk crossed Sasuke's features, they were starting to get the timing for the fireballs. Mayumi had a small grin on her face as she noticed that the corner of Haku's robe was singed._ 'Hah! Got him that time!'_ She exclaimed in her head triumphantly. It wouldn't be long until they managed to hit him full-on!

"I was so close but I couldn't quite get to him," Naruto's voice resounded with exhausted disappointment and frustration. "Naruto, can you do it again?" Sasuke asked, his tone of voice serious. "Of course! Nothing can stop me, believe it!" Was Naruto's quick reply. _'He must be really tired but he doesn't want to show it…'_ Mayumi contemplated this for a second before Sasuke's voice snapped her back to reality. "You too Mayumi, are you still able to go on?" She nodded firmly, no way was she going to give up now!

The mirrors began to glow with the bright light. Mayumi and Sasuke formed hand-signs in perfect synchronisation. "Naruto, run for it! Get out of here and attack from the outside, hurry!" Sasuke shouted, a hint of urgency in his voice.

"Alright, you got it!" With that as a reply, Naruto began to sprint toward the edge of the semi-sphere of icy mirrors. "You cannot escape." Haku said as the light resumed its filling of the mirrors. This threw Naruto back, but he just got up and continued to run. "You think you can keep me here? Forget it!" He yelled as he ran. "That's it!" Sasuke exclaimed as he saw Haku dart out of one of the mirrors. "Fire Style, Fireball Jutsu!" He and Mayumi shouted, sending the fire bolting at its target.

Haku swerved out of the way gracefully and threw two senbon at his attackers. He then landed in front of Naruto, cutting off his escape while simultaneously kicking him backward. The senbon achieved their objectives, one piercing Sasuke's shoulder while the other embedded itself in Mayumi's shoulder. They could feel the needles strike their nervous system, paralysing their respective arms for a few seconds.

"I couldn't get past him!"

"That was good, Naruto," Sasuke's voiced came out a little strained as he pulled out the needle. Mayumi had already removed hers, leaving a stinging sensation where the pain once was. "Thanks to you, I think that we can beat him," she smiled gratefully at Naruto, encouraging him. "One more time," Sasuke breathed out. "Yeah! Lets do it!" Naruto agreed spiritedly as he dashed once again. Sasuke ran in the opposite direction, while Mayumi ran off in another direction. "No more games, I need to stop this now. This time you'll stay down!" Haku declared as a needle buried half of itself into Sasuke's shin, temporarily paralysing his leg. More were sent to embed themselves in him, then Naruto and then Mayumi. All three winced as they felt the needles sink into them.

An ear-splitting, sky-breaching scream echoed all around them, startling the three Genin and causing them all to grimace. Sakura. "Sakura… she's in trouble," the words that came out of Naruto's mouth were tense with pain. "I'll bust us out of here, I'll take him out," Naruto grinned wolfishly as he got back up. Sasuke and Mayumi followed his lead, Haku's ominous voice pounding in their ears. "You've exhausted my patience."

Naruto made a hand-sign to help him focus the Chakra. The blue energy began to flare around him, powering up his speed. He dashed toward the edge again, doing a backflip to evade Haku. The masked ninja ran after him through the ice, easily matching his speed. "Naruto, behind you!" Sasuke yelled, alerting the orange-clad ninja.

More senbon rushed at Naruto, shredding and cutting him. "You chance of escaping my house of mirrors is zero. That is absolute." Haku's self-certain statement sent a shiver coursing down Mayumi's spine. "Naruto, are you able to get up?" Sasuke asked as he and Mayumi kneeled by their blond squad-mate. "Try not to use anymore Chakra, that's only going to help him now," Sasuke advised. "Don't strain yourself," Mayumi added, though she knew that they were already straining themselves at the moment. "I know, guys, I know," Naruto's voice was raspy as he lifted his head to answer. Then, without warning, his head collapsed again. He had passed out.

"Looking for a counterattack? I'll save you the trouble," Haku drew back his arm and fired a volley of senbon at the Genin who remained standing. Sasuke swiftly picked up one of the fallen needles and deflected the oncoming ones. "What?!" Haku's voice held a mild hint of surprise in it. Sasuke fell to one knee and turned to face Naruto's unconscious form. "Get up, loser! We've got to team up!"

Upon hearing his teammate's voice, Naruto began to struggle into a sitting position. "I know what we have to do, believe it, Sasuke, Mayumi," another group of needles streamed at them, like a shoal of silver-scaled fish. Mayumi whipped a needle out of her arm and used it to help aid Sasuke in defending Naruto from the needles. They knocked Naruto out of the trajectory of some more needles and continued to deflect the others. The senbon bounced off of each other relentlessly. "Sasuke, we can't keep this up, we need to do something else!" Mayumi yelled over the clang of metal. "I know, I know!" Sasuke shouted back, frustrated. He knew that Mayumi was right, but he had no idea of what to do but defend themselves and Naruto.

Haku's form flickered twice before passing from sight. "He disappeared! Where'd he go? How could he just vanish?" Sasuke voiced Mayumi's thoughts aloud as the two of them looked around frantically. "Naruto, you'd better not pass out again! C'mon lets go, we can't keep protecting you like this," Sasuke's voice carried a hint of something akin to fear. "We can't keep this up forever, we have our limits," Mayumi added, the same emotion also tinging her voice. "Well then don't, I never asked for your help." Naruto's voice was strained due to the pain from the needles. He then fell back, exhaustion, anguish and fatigue claiming a hold over him. "Agh, not now!" Mayumi's voice was slightly raised, frustration echoing from it.

"You can't revive him, he's reached his limits." A small chuckle left Haku's mouth, surprising his opponents. Sasuke snarled and threw a needle at him, which he blocked in the blink of an eye. Mayumi then threw her one at him, hoping to catch the mask-clad ninja off-guard. Her needle though, met the same fate as Sasuke's, landing on the ground with a quiet clatter. "Impressive, you both have excellent moves. Your attacks are very skillful," Sasuke and Mayumi dodged more needles by darting to the side. "But you've reached your limits as well. Your abilities are weakening slowly but surely, now you're finished!"

Both of the raven-haired Genin tensed, awaiting Haku's next, inevitable attack. Sasuke bent down to pick up Naruto and with lightening speed, he jumped out of the way of the needles with a Chakra enhanced leap. Mayumi, on the other hand, barely managed to dart out of the way before the needles buried themselves in the ground, just where she had been moments before.

Setting Naruto back on the floor, Sasuke raised his head. His eyes weren't black anymore, they were red, they were… _'the Sharingan!'_ A wave of agony crashed over Mayumi before she could think of anything else. She fell to her knees with a yelp, causing the needles to dig deeper into her. She raised her hands to clutch her head, attempting to staunch the pain. The others looked at her, surprised, as another torrent of gut-wrenching anguish flooded over her. Her head was pulsing with torment and her eyes began to lose focus. The sounds around her began to blur and darkness pressed on the edges of her consciousness. She could only faintly hear Sasuke asking her what was wrong. "N… nothing…" the words came out scratchy and extremely strained, almost inaudible and extremely difficult to understand. It was beginning to become impossible to bear and Mayumi's eyes were clouding over. _'N… no… no! I have to help them… I can't black out now…'_ she heard Sasuke urging her to stay awake, to keep on fighting and protecting Naruto. She squeezed her eyes shut and almost immidiately, the pain began to dull and recede slightly. Mayumi quivered violently as she rose to her feet, keeping her eyes closed. Experimentally, she opened her eyes and turned to look at Sasuke. The pain came almost instantly, threatening to overwhelm her. Closing her eyes again, she turned to 'face' Sasuke.

"I can't open my eyes, I'm going to have to fight with them closed. I'll explain later." Mayumi could feel Sasuke's confused gaze burning into her. She was about to open her mouth to say something else when Sasuke acknowledged her previous statement. "Right."

"What?!" Mayumi heard Sasuke exclaim. She felt the air around her scatter as something pierced through it. _'Haku,'_ she could feel the direction he had gone in, past them and toward… _'Naruto!'_ Without hesitation, Mayumi opened her eyes and darted toward her blond teammate. Instantaneously, the agony returned. Her vision became foggy and blurred as she finally reached Naruto with the help of her Chakra. Sasuke then also enhanced his speed with Chakra and leapt in front of Mayumi. Before any of them could react in any way, Sasuke had been struck in their stead.

Naruto stirred, blinking repeatedly to help his eyes regain focus. Mayumi was standing in front of him, and Sasuke in front of her. Haku lay on the floor a few metres away from them, face-down. "You always get in the way, Naruto. You too, Mayumi, it never fails," now it was Sasuke's voice that came out strained and raspy. "You beat him, Sasuke!" Naruto cheered. His expression then became one of surprise as he realised that Sasuke had protected both of them from the attack. Said Genin turned to face them, a small smile on his face, blood pouring out of the corner of his mouth. "You should see the looks on your faces, you look like total losers," his weak attempt at a joke was interrupted by Naruto.

"Why…? Why did you… save us? Why did you do it?" Naruto's voice had gone quiet from shock. "You never had any reason to do so… so why?" Mayumi's voice had descended in volume and was now barely above a whisper. "I don't know why, I just did," Sasuke struggled to speak as his eyes glazed over. His head dropped for a moment before he raised it again, a smirk present on his features. "You… I hated you…" Sasuke rasped, directed at Naruto.

"Then why? It doesn't make sense. Why did you protect us?!" Naruto raised his voice. "I didn't ask for this, I didn't ask for you to save us!" Naruto shouted as he clenched his fists, his knuckles turning white. "I don't know, my body just moved, there was no time to think," with that, Sasuke fell backward. Mayumi and Naruto lunged forward and caught him. "He… he's still out there, my brother. I promised myself I'd stay alive until I killed him. Naruto, Mayumi, don't let your dreams die..." The male Uchiha's eyes remained open as he let his pupils slide over to look at Mayumi. "Is that you… sister? Are you waiting for me to join you…?" His eyes then fluttered to a close as he was laid on the ground gently. Another arrow of hurt danced through Mayumi's head before disappearing completely. Bewildered, Mayumi thought for a moment. _'Sister? But, why do I feel so grieved at his death? He was just a teammate, we hardly spoke to each other and yet, I feel truly sorrowful and grieved. Why do I feel like this?'_ Before she could ponder any longer, Mayumi was snapped back to reality by Naruto, who was also intent on avenging Sasuke's fall.


	8. Chapter 7

**The Final Phase and Return To Konoha**

"Is this the first time you have seen a friend die in battle? This is part of what it means to be a ninja." Haku said as he got back up and re-entered one of his ice mirrors. "Shut up!" Mayumi snarled from her place beside Sasuke's motionless body. "What?" Haku's voice remained without emotion.

"Shut up!" Naruto growled, echoing Mayumi's previous words. "I… I hated you too, Sasuke, and yet…" a ring of what looked like steam rose around Naruto, coiling around him. "You'll pay for this," the steam looped around him, turning a reddish-orange colour._ 'Red Chakra?'_ Mayumi wondered inside her head as she began to focus Chakra for her next attack. "I'm going to kill you!" Naruto's voice had taken on a demonic tone, his eyes red and his teeth larger and sharper. His hair became more wild and his fingernails became lethal claws. The marks on his cheeks became more defined and he took a more animalistic form, crouching on all fours.

The Chakra swirled around them, forming a fox's face as it did so. The needles were pushed out of Naruto's body and steam rose from his wounds as they healed. His hands grew to accommodate the claws as he turned to face Haku, his eyes gleaming with bloodlust and rage. The Chakra began to press on the edges of the ice prison. Seeing this as her chance, Mayumi reinforced the Chakra with her Great Fireball Jutsu.

Naruto charged forward on all fours, baring his sharpened teeth. Haku threw some senbon at him, only to have them ricochet off of the whirling wind that had formed around him. More senbon were plunged into Naruto's back, but they were just ripped out by the Chakra. He punched one of the mirrors, breaking it. Mayumi sent fire at the other mirrors, trying to weaken them as much as possible.

Naruto grabbed Haku's wrist and wrenched him to a stop. He pulled back his fist and sent it rocketing at Haku's concealed face. The mere force of the impact sent Haku flying backward a large amount of metres. He tumbled across the bridge, coming to a stop in a cloud of dust, his mask fragmented. The mirrors of ice splintered and smashed, falling to the ground with dry, clinking clatters. Haku rose to his feet slowly and Naruto wasted no time in charging again. Mayumi hesitated, glancing at Sasuke's body before running after Naruto.

A bit of Haku's mask peeled off of his face, though he made no move to dodge or stop the oncoming attack. The rest of the mask slid off, revealing Haku's eyes. The defeated look in them was so intense, yet so empty.

Naruto's fist flew at Haku's face once again, though this time it stopped only one inch from its mark. "So, that guy in the woods, that was you?!" Naruto's voice had gone back to normal, as had his features. His eyes no longer shone maliciously, the pupil narrowed and the iris red, now they were wide, blue and confused. "Why do you not strike?" Haku's voice, though emotionless, carried a dismal hint to it. "Did you not just vow to avenge your comrade's death by killing me? Or was that vow just empty words?"

"The weren't empty words! We meant every single one of them!" Mayumi said meaningfully as she came to stand beside Naruto. Angered by Haku's words, Naruto punched him in the face, sending him staggering back, reeling from the sudden attack. Haku fell to the floor, only to try and get back up again, coughing. "No, that won't do, you're still holding back. If that is all of the strength you can put into it, you will never keep your vow." Haku told them as he stood back up, wiping his bloodied mouth with his sleeve. "Perhaps it didn't mean as much to you as you pretend." Haku swayed back onto his feet. "To show mercy to those who oppose the one you serve, to allow his enemies to live, when you could strike them down, this is not compassion, it is a betrayal of your life's very purpose. For what reason do you exist then? You're of use to no-one, your life has no meaning, it is mere existence. Day after day of pain and struggle, signifying nothing." Mayumi felt sorrow stab through her as she heard Haku's words.

"Yeah, well speak for yourself!" Naruto yelled loudly.

"Are you really that blind? I am speaking of myself. This day had shown that I am no longer of any use to Zabuza," Haku said, trying to force a smile.

"Zabuza," Naruto said the name with loathing and disgust dripping from his voice. "Why that guy, anyway? To devote your life to a rotten skunk who doesn't know the meaning of the word honour. If he's really the one person that matters to you... man, that's the sorriest thing I've ever heard!" Naruto shouted.

"He treats you like a slave, why do you let him do that to you?" Mayumi demanded. "There were once others who mattered to me, long ago. My father and my mother, I was born in the land of water, in a small village where the snow lies deep in the Winter. My parents were farmers and very poor, our life was hard but we were content. My parents were good to each other and kind to me. Yes, we were happy once. But then everything changed. Because of something that happened long before I was even born, everything changed."

"What do you mean? What was it? What happened?" Naruto pressed.

"It wasn't my doing. It is in the blood," Haku replied, looking at his own blood on his hand, a distant look in his eyes. "Blood? So what was it? You said something happened that changed everything!" Naruto questioned, confused.

"It was my father who changed, he killed my mother and he almost killed me. After years of suffering in wars and civil war, the people of my land had come to fear and hate anyone who carried the Kekkei Genkai in their blood," Haku began. "Kekkei Genkai?" Naruto asked, for he hadn't heard Kakashi's explanation on it. "The advanced Bloodline Trait in a clan. It's Jutsu and abilities are passed down from generation to generation. Because of their unique abilities, the clans were used as mercenaries. They fought many battles and were much feared. But when the wars were over, they were despised and shunned by the people, who feared their presence would only bring more war and misfortune. So it was that after the wars, these clans went into hiding, denying the Bloodline Trait that flowed in their veins, concealing their unique abilities, knowing that to be discovered meant certain death. If you had searched that boy's memories, I'm sure you would have found it there too." Haku said, referring to Sasuke. "The cruelty of people, their fear of things they don't understand. For years my mother was successful in hiding her Bloodline Trait. She met and fell in love with a simple farmer, and they were married and after that, my mother thought that she would lead a peaceful, ordinary life to the end of her days,"

_"Mama, look what I can do," a younger Haku laughed as he made some water hover in-between his hands without touching it. Shocked, his mother dropped the cloth that she was carrying and gasped. "See what I made? See? Isn't it beautiful?" Haku showed her happily, oblivious to her surprised expression._

_"No! You must never, do you hear? Never! You wicked, wicked child!" His mother shrieked as she dragged him to the side, making him drop the water. "Mama, what is it? What are you doing? Stop!" She drew back her hand and slapped him, hard. Haku's eyes widened as his head was forcefully batted to the side. A small whimper left his mother's mouth before she encased him in a hug. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry my darling. I'm sorry." She said in-between small sobs._

"My father had seen and so he knew our secret, mother's and mine." Haku continued, his voice carrying no bitterness.

_A plate smashed to the floor beside a bloodied hand. A small child whimpered and cowered in the corner, trying to get away from the menacing shapes before him. His eyes were filled with tears, he looked up, only to see the man he once called a father raising a metal baton above his head. The child cried out in terror as the baton came down, squeezing his eyes shut. _

_The next sound that came was one of splintering wood. The small child from before limped away from his former home, his energy fading swiftly. He lurched forward and fell onto the snow-covered ground, frozen flakes rained down on his now unconscious figure. Behind him was his home, giant spears of ice protruded from it, marking the complete activation of the child's Kekkei Genkai._

"When at last I was myself again, I found that I was no longer myself. My father and mother were gone, but I knew that something else had been taken from me, something even more important, and that is when I truly despaired." Haku finished telling his tragic tale. _'What a sad story…'_ Mayumi lamented.

"More important than your mother and father? What?" Naruto asked, though this time his forceful tone had disappeared. "My purpose. In all the world there was no-one who needed me. I was… unnecessary." The emptiness in Haku's eyes was rimmed with heart-wrenching despair.

"Why is it that you're all so determined to complete this mission? Because you want to be recognised for your efforts and be respected for your acts of justice. You see, it's only through the eyes of others that our little lives have any significance. When there is no-one who sees you, or will even look at you, it is as if you do not exist. Then Zabuza came along and looked at me, and his eyes were not full of hate or fear. He did not shun me for my strangeness, indeed my special powers were just what he wanted. He made me necessary again. I was happy…" Haku's eyes fogged up as if he was reminiscing. "I have failed you, Zabuza. I am like a weapon that has been broken and is of no further use." With that, Haku raised his head and walked up to Naruto and Mayumi, unnerving them slightly. "Naruto, Mayumi, kill me."

Meanwhile, on the other side of the bridge, Kakashi and Zabuza still battled. Zabuza was nowhere to be seen while Kakashi formed hand-signs, though this time, he was forming them around a scroll of some kind. "Ninja Art, Summoning! Earth Style, Fang Pursuit Jutsu!" He slammed the scroll into the ground, causing a small crater to be formed. Red coils streamed out of the ends of the scroll and faded quickly into the floor.

"I don't know why you bother. Of what use is a Jutsu if you can't even find me, but I can find you," Zabuza's voice drifted through the mist. "Falling into my trap, you disappoint me, Kakashi," Zabuza's mocking voice taunted. "I think you're right, it is time to put an end to this," Zabuza continued, his eyes widening as he heard a scraping sound beneath his feet.

Without warning, a group of vicious dogs smashed their way out of the ground, biting at Zabuza ferociously. They pinned him with their teeth and claws, rendering him immobile.

"I realised that if I couldn't see you, I'de have to smell you out. That was a Summoning Jutsu, I was calling forth my Ninja Hounds, they can track a scent anywhere. When you attacked me, I let you get past my guard, I wanted you to cut me. You see, it's the smell of my blood on your blade that led them to you, surprised? Looks like I wasn't the only one who was 'blind.' Falling into my trap, you disappoint me, Zabuza," Kakashi mimicked Zabuza as he said the last part. "Ah, the mist is finally clearing, and you know what I see? Your death." Kakashi informed ominously.

"Talk, talk. Do you mean to talk me to death?" Zabuza snarled.

"In a way, yes. Right now, my hounds are just playing with you, but one word from me and they'll tear you apart. Poor Zabuza, see where your ambitions got you? You were always pushing things too far. There was the failed Mizukage assassination and your attempted coup 'de tat. You were forced to flee with the few followers you had, your country's Tracker Ninja hot on your heels. You became a rogue ninja who's name was quickly known, even in the Village Hidden in the Leaves. Now, you're crazy enough to want to go back and try it again, but for that you need money, and to get it, you stooped so low as to be the hired thug of a swine like Gato. All right, Zabuza, enough talk, time to finish it. But it won't be with the Sharingan, imitations of some other ninja's tricks. No, it's time I introduced you to my own Jutsu!" With that Kakahsi formed the Ox hand-sign, then the Rabbit and finally the Monkey hand-signs.

He held his right hand in front of himself, the palm facing upwards as if he was holding something. A ring of blue Chakra was formed on the ground around him. Something akin to electricity surged up from it and flew to his hand, forming a sphere of Chakra upon it. Kakashi gripped the Chakra, letting more of it join the first lot. "Lightening Blade!"

"Chakra so strong that it's visible! He holds it in his hand!" Zabuza shouted in shock, he had never seen something like this before! "I won't allow you to kill Tazuna, he's a brave man with a noble dream. The bridge he's building is the hope of this land and all it's people. You're like a disease, by attacking one, you infect all. You don't care. That is not the way of the Shinobi." Kakashi said, the electric Chakra crackling around him.

"You're right, I don't care! These useless little people and their petty little dreams, why should they matter to me? I have a dream of my own." Zabuza snarled back. The Chakra in Kakashi's hand began to flare wildly, "but to have a dream you need to have a future. You don't." The rest of the Chakra seeped up to Kakashi's hand. "Your future's all used up, Zabuza!"

Meanwhile, not too far away, Mayumi and Naruto stared in shock at Haku. "Go on, strike. Kill me." The now mask-less boy urged. "Why do you hesitate?" Naruto's hands balled into fists as he took a few steps back. "That's the most ridiculous story I've ever heard! I mean, he treats you like a slave! You're a human being, not a weapon or a tool, how can you care about someone like that?!" Mayumi took only one step back before adding on, "he doesn't deserve to have you there for him, he doesn't deserve you! He only sees you as an object to be used, he doesn't care about what happens to you! How on earth can you still follow his orders?!" Mayumi raised her voice, incredulousness dripping off of her words. "For that very reason, does that seem so strange to you?" Haku queried.

"Yes, of course it does," was Mayumi's reply, which was swiftly followed by Naruto's. "Well yeah, a little,"

"When he found me, I was without a purpose or reason for living, Zabuza gave me both. But now, my usefulness is over, the only thing that gave my life meaning, it's gone. I am a broken tool, a blunted weapon of no use to anyone. Go on, Naruto, Mayumi, do it, for both of our sakes. I am only sorry that it must be your hands that will be tainted with my unworthy blood." Haku sounded so empty, so hollow. "Are you sure about this?" The two Genin questioned uncertainly. "And you're positive that it's the only way?"

"Yes." Was Haku's reply, a minuscule smile gracing his lips.

"The weird thing is, if we met in another time and place, then maybe we could have been friends," Naruto said before walking forward, pulling out a kunai as he did so. Mayumi swiftly mimicked the action and the two surged forward. "This is for Sasuke! Because he also had a dream!" The kunais glinted as their wielders got closer and closer to their target. Just as the kunais were about to be plunged into Haku's heart, he stopped them both with one hand. "Sorry, change of plan," Haku formed a few hand-signs with his free hand. "I'm not ready to die quite yet." And with that, he vanished in a puff of smoke.

The Chakra in Kakashi's hand crackled furiously as it's holder charged forward to deliver the fatal blow. Kakashi drew back his fist and then slammed it forward with all of his strength. The Chakra went haywire as it made contact with flesh, illuminating the area around them.

Kakashi's eyes widened, he hadn't hit Zabuza! But, he had definitely hit someone, so who…? He looked up, shock etched into his features as he realised who he had struck. Haku! Blood poured from the boy's mouth, the light in his eyes fading slowly and gradually. Zabuza's usually narrowed eyes widened considerably as shock also became apparent on his face. The Chakra slowly receded into nothing as Haku's face bowed for a second. He coughed and then raised his head, reaching a hand to grab onto Kakashi's, holding it to his chest with an vice-like grip. "Za… bu… za," he rasped, tightening his hold on Kakashi's blood-smeared hand. "So, my future is all used up, huh? Wrong again, Kakashi." Zabuza sneered confidently.

Mayumi and Naruto's figures began to drift through the fog as they ran toward the other ninjas. Both of them stopped in their tracks once they saw the scene before them. Blood streamed down Kakashi's hand, which was held against Haku's blood-soaked chest. "Wh… what is going on?" Mayumi's voice barely rose over a whisper.

"The boy threw himself in front of my attack… he saved your worthless life at the cost of his own," Kakashi's voice dropped, a tinge of sadness edging it. Zabuza chuckled, "well done, Haku." Kakashi snarled, angered, his eyes narrowing in rage.

Zabuza roared, drawing his sword, ready to slice Kakashi to pieces. _'He'd hack right through the boy to take me down?'_ Haku's grip on his hand prevented Kakashi from escaping. Quickly, he bent down and picked Haku up, leaping away to safety along with the boy's now limp body. "Heheheh, not bad for having a corpse in your arms," Zabuza said cruelly.

"You'll pay for that!" Naruto shouted. Mayumi stood beside him, feeling sickened at Zabuza's actions. "No, stay out of this, Naruto!" Kakashi called out to his student while placing Haku on the ground. His eyes dull with sadness, Kakashi lowered the fallen ninja's eyelids respectfully. "This is my battle!" Kakashi declared, silently enraged at Zabuza's indifference to Haku's death.

"Naruto, Mayumi, over here!" Sakura waved at them, "so the three of you are alright?" She called. Mayumi and Naruto both looked to the side, tears pricking the corner of their eyes. "What's wrong?" Sakura asked, beginning to feel worried. "Where is Sasuke anyway?" Mayumi struggled to speak without letting her voice crack. "Sakura,"

"No…" Sakura's voice was barely above a whisper. She didn't notice when Zabuza charged at Kakashi, nor when the latter kicked him away. "Let me take you to him, Sakura. As long as we stay together, you won't be disobeying your Sensei's orders," Tazuna offered sympathetically.

"Thank-you," Sakura's voice wavered as she took Tazuna's hand. The two of them ran across the battlefield and past Mayumi and Naruto, who's heads were bowed in grief. _'Again, why do I feel like this? I hardly knew him and yet, it breaks my heart to know that he's dead.'_ Mayumi echoed her words from before in her head. Minutes later, Mayumi was able to hear Sakura's cries of grief. Beside her, Naruto clutched the front of his jacket in an attempt to stop the sadness from overwhelming him. "'Twenty-fifth Shinobi Principle: A Shinobi never shows their feelings no matter what the circumstances, feelings are a weakness, they only cloud a Shinobi's judgement and weaken their sense of duty,'" Mayumi murmured quietly, remembering one of their lessons from the academy.

She was snapped back to reality when she saw Zabuza charge at Kakashi again, swinging his sword around in the direction of the latter's face. Kakashi merely raised his hand and stopped Zabuza's futile attempt at an attack, throwing the Rogue Ninja backward. Kakashi hit his foe again, incurring his rage. "I'll split you in half!" Zabuza bellowed as Kakashi dodged his sword once more. Within a second, Kakashi was behind Zabuza, speaking in contempt, "look at you, you're falling apart. I knew you didn't have what it takes for the long haul,"

"What did you say?!" Zabuza growled from his disadvantageous position.

"You have no idea what real strength is." Kakashi replied menacingly, scorn apparent in his tone of voice. Kakashi flipped two kunais into his hand and pointed them at Zabuza, ready to strike his arm. "Game over, you lose." He brought the knives down while Zabuza swung his sword, trying to hit Kakashi with it before he himself was struck. The knives plunged into Zabuza's arm while Kakashi flipped out of the sword's way. "Now both of your arms are useless, what now? You can't even make hand-signs," Kakashi told him.

The sound of approaching footsteps alerted the ninjas, interrupting their battle. "Did quite a job on you, didn't he, Zabuza? You look like yesterday's Sashimi. I must say I'm… disappointed," the voice came from a short man wearing a black suit. Behind him was a whole group of thugs who were snickering malevolently.

"Gato? I don't understand, what is all this? Why are you here, and who are these thugs you brought with you?" Zabuza questioned with increasing suspicion.

"Well, you see, there's been a slight change in plan. According to the new plan, you die right here on this bridge, Zabuza," Gato replied in a somewhat casual manner. "What?" Zabuza's voice was dangerously quiet, his eyes wide and full of disgust toward the suit-clad man. "That's right, you're too expensive, so I've decided to take you off the pay-roll. Of course, even these thugs I brought with me cost something, so if you could manage to slaughter a few of them before they take you down, I'de appreciate it. Think you can manage that, Demon Ninja of the Mist? Look at you, you look about as demonic as a wet kitten," Gato mocked cruelly as his thugs snickered in agreement.

"Well, well, Kakashi, it would seem our fight is at an end. Since I am no longer in Gato's employ, Tazuna's safe. We have no quarrel." Zabuza said, not even turning to look at the silver-haired ninja. "Yeah, I suppose you're right," was all Kakashi said as he too didn't remove his gaze from Gato and the thugs.

Gato callously stepped forward, looking down at Haku's body with abhorrence. "That reminds me, you little punk! You grabbed me and nearly broke my arm! I've been meaning to repay you for that!" Viciously, Gato kicked Haku's body. Mayumi was both shocked and repulsed by his brutality, while beside her, Naruto gasped, outraged. "Heh, I only wish he was alive to feel it," Gato said sadistically as he prodded the lifeless boy's face with his walking-stick. "Get away! Get away from him, you scum!" Rage emanated from Naruto's words as he charged forward, only to be held back by Kakashi. "Hey, stop! Use your head!" Kakashi told him as the orange-clad ninja turned to face Zabuza.

"Well, what about you, Zabuza? Are you going to let him do that?" Naruto yelled at the rogue ninja as Mayumi stepped forward to join them. "Be quiet you fool. Haku's dead, what does it matter?" Zabuza's words were cold, he didn't even turn to face them. "What?! You mean that you can just stand there and watch him get treated like a dog?! You and Haku were together for years, doesn't that mean anything?!" Naruto shouted, disbelievingly.

"He was your companion, how can you not feel anything at all for him?!" Mayumi added, feeling sickened. "You don't understand the way of Shinobi. I merely used him, just as Gato used me. Now, it's over, his usefulness is at an end, the loss of his strength and skill, yes, that means something to me. But the boy, nothing." Zabuza's voice was strangely quiet and carried less of a growl to it than usual.

"If you mean that, then you're an even bigger rat than I thought!" Kakashi placed a hand on Naruto's shoulder. "Ok, that's enough. Calm down, Naruto, he's not the enemy, not right now," Naruto simply shrugged of his Sensei's hand. "Shut up! As far as I'm concerned, he's enemy number one!" He vociferated loudly as he pointed an accusatory finger at Zabuza. "Why you… you ungrateful…" Naruto seethed, "after everything he did for you, Haku lived for you! You were the most important thing in the world to him! And he meant nothing to you?! Nothing at all?! While he was sacrificing everything for you, you never felt anything at all for him?! And if I become stronger, does that mean that I'll become as cold-hearted as you are? He threw his life away, and for what? For you and your dreams?!" Tears began streaming down Naruto's face as he continued. "You never let him have a dream of his own, but he didn't care. And you just toss him aside, like he was nothing! A broken tool... man, that's so wrong… so wrong!" Tears pricked the corners of Mayumi's eyes, though she just pushed them back.

"You talk too much," Zabuza spoke, the ground in front of him littered with his own stray tears. He looked up, tears streaming down his cheeks and glimmering in his eyes. "Your words cut deep, deeper than any blade. While he fought you, his heart was breaking in two. You see, Haku was always too soft and too kind, he felt pain and sorrow, and now, curse him, I feel them too. And something else, I feel contempt that this is the way it ends." Zabuza then bit away at the bandages around his mouth. They fell away to reveal a grim smile and sharp teeth.

"Well, cat got your tongue? Are you so surprised to discover that I'm human? Even Shinobi are human, no matter how hard we try to escape that simple fact, we always fail." Zabuza's lips curved up slightly into a bitter smile, "well at least, I have failed." The small traces of the minuscule smile disappeared completely. "Boy, give me your kunai." Naruto looked up, surprised, before throwing the kunai up at Zabuza with a small, "here."

Memories of Haku flooded through Zabuza's head as the kunai fell toward him in what seemed to take an eternity. A dull clash was heard as Zabuza caught the kunai in his mouth, for his arms were too injured for him to use. Gato panicked, running behind his small army of thugs while shouting, "that's enough of this, do it! Take him out now!" Upon hearing his signal, the thugs smirked bloodthirstily. They mocked Zabuza as he charged toward them, cutting the first one down with the kunai. He sprinted through their ranks, plunging the kunai into all of them in turn. A few spears managed to dig themselves into his back, though he never relented. Smashing through them, he made his way to Gato, who was at the edge of the bridge.

Gato whimpered pathetically, the next moment having a kunai struck into his chest. Blood poured from the wound, though it didn't seem life-threatening. More spears embedded themselves into the rogue ninja's back, causing him to stumble forward. "You crazy fool, if you're so eager to join your friend, go ahead, but you're not taking me, not this time." Gato rasped, clutching his new wound.

"I won't be joining Haku, where he's gone, I cannot follow." Zabuza advanced on Gato slowly, causing the latter to beg, "stay back, stay back!" Zabuza leaned forward until his face was right in front of Gato's. "No, my friend, it's the other place that we're going to, you and me both, Gato! I can't think of a more fitting destination for a demon ninja, can you? I'm told that there are many demons down there, of all shapes and sizes! Oh yes, I should fit right in! You, on the other hand, Gato, well I fear that you're in for a long and very painful eternity!" With that Zabuza cut into Gato again and again, until the short, evil man fell off of the bridge, his body vanishing into the swirling tides below.

The thugs cowered in fear, standing to the side and allowing Zabuza a straight route toward Haku's body. Zabuza's vision was beginning to blur severely as he stumbled forward. "Haku… so this is goodbye at last. Not once did I ever thank you. Haku, forgive me for that," Zabuza apologised hoarsely before falling forward, landing on the ground with a 'thump.'

Naruto turned his head away from the scene, closing his eyes tightly. Mayumi bowed her head and also closed her eyes,_ 'why did it have to end like this?'_ She asked herself sadly. "Don't turn away, when you live like a warrior, this is how it ends." Kakashi told them sombrely.

"Naruto, Mayumi, over here!" Sakura called out to them, breaking the sad silence. "Look, it's Sasuke, he's alright, he's alright!" Naruto and Mayumi's expressions became ones of shock before they melted into joy. Sasuke was miraculously standing as he raised a hand to tell them that he was fine. Without thinking, Mayumi rushed towards her black-haired teammate and wrapped her arms around him in a hug. Startled at the sudden action, Sasuke stood still before hesitantly returning the hug with unsure arms. _'Why do I feel so happy that he's alive?'_ She wondered as she jogged back to Naruto and Kakashi, leaving a somewhat confused Sasuke in her wake.

_'Haku mustn't have meant to kill Sasuke, or else he'd be dead by now!'_ Mayumi realised gratefully as she ran. "Well, well, will wonders never cease? Amazing," Mayumi heard Kakashi say as she rejoined the frontal group.

"Hey, yoo-hoo! Don't go getting too comfortable!" One of the thugs called out as he tapped the ground with his weapon. "This party ain't over yet, who's gonna pay us now that Gato's gone?" Another added, sneering.

"No way we're gonna leave here empty handed, so we'll just have to hit that village and see what they've got for us," another thug spoke, causing shouts of approval to come from the rest of the goons.

"Not good," Mayumi heard Kakashi say. Naruto turned around to face his Sensei. "C'mon, Kakashi Sensei! You must have a Jutsu that can take care of this bunch of losers!"

"Not right now, I used too much of my Chakra." Kakashi replied in a somewhat frustrated manner, though it was mostly directed at himself.

"Get 'em, boys!" One of the thugs commanded as he charged forward with the rest of them, intent on finishing off the ninjas. As they neared the one thing in-between them and the ninjas, Haku's body, an arrow came whizzing at them, burying itself in the ground before them, stopping the evil thugs from advancing any further.

"There's one thing you're forgetting about," behind them, were all of the villagers, each holding a shovel, pike or make-shift weapon of some sort. Inari stood at their head, holding a crossbow. "Before you set one foot in our village, you'll have to go through all of us!" The villagers cheered loudly at this, raising their weapons in agreement. "Inari!" Naruto called out happily while Mayumi just looked at the small boy, waiting to see what would happen next. "Heros usually show up at the last minute, you know!" Inari replied happily, grinning from ear to ear. Unshed tears of happiness glimmered in Tazuna's eyes as he gazed at the villagers. "They've all come, the whole village," his voice trembled with joy. The thugs' eyes widened with fear as their cowardly hearts began to beat faster.

"Shadow Clone Jutsu!" After the customary cloud of smoke that came with this Jutsu, Naruto stood with his clones, all of them wearing a copy of his wide grin. Next, it was Kakashi's turn, "Shadow Clone Jutsu!" Now a group of Kakashis stood together beside the Naruto clones. Mayumi had used up too much Chakra to be able to perform a Jutsu like that, so she just settled for a basic, academy level Clone Jutsu. "Clone Jutsu!" The group of Mayumis stood beside the Narutos and Kakashis.

"Okay, still wanna fight?" The Kakashis chorused, causing the the thugs to turn tail and run. They raced toward their boat, which was floating beside the bridge. In their mad scramble to get on it, some of the thugs fell into the water or off the bridge. The villagers peered over the edge of the bridge to see their retreating foes. "Victory!" Inari shouted as he raised his crossbow in triumph. The villagers began to cheer as Tazuna looked at them proudly, moved by their determination and spirit.

Further off, Kakashi went over to stand in front of Zabuza's fallen form. "Sounds like it's over," Zabuza stated, his tone of voice one of defeat and weariness. "Yeah," that was all Kakashi could say.

"Kakashi, I have a favour to ask," Zabuza began.

"What is it?" Kakashi questioned as he looked down at Zabuza's motionless body. "Take me to him. Before I go, I need to see him one last time," sighing, Kakashi pulled his headband back over his Sharingan eye. His visible eye softened slightly as he responded, "sure."

The dry clatter of wood hitting the ground was heard as Kakashi took out the weapons out of Zabuza's back. Then, he picked up the other Jounin's limp body and began to carry it toward Haku's lifeless figure. Snow began to fall gently from the sky as Kakashi walked along the bridge in silence. The villagers muttered in disbelief, how could snow be falling at this time of year?_ 'Is it you, Haku? Are you weeping?'_ The snow just continued to fall, giving no answer to Zabuza's unspoken question. Slowly, he was lowered onto the ground so he lay beside his perished companion. "Thank-you, Kakashi." He said as the other ninja walked away to join his own comrades.

Gradually, he turned his head so that he faced Haku. "You were always at my side, the least I can do is to be beside you at the end," Zabuza gazed at his former partner, his eyes full of sorrow and regret. He trailed his injured arm up to Haku's cold, icy head and placed it on his cheek. "I know it cannot be, but I wish that I could go where you have gone. How I wish that I could join you there, Haku…" a final sigh left the rogue ninja's mouth before he too, lay still. Rays of sunlight filtered through the clouds, illuminating Haku's face as a lone tear slid out of his closed eyes and landed on Zabuza's hand.

"He told me that where he came from, it was always snowing, all the time," Naruto sniffled as tears streamed out of his eyes. Mayumi tried to blink her's back, only just managing not to let any stray tears of her own leak out of her eyes. "Of course, his spirit was as pure as the snow. You never know, Zabuza, maybe you will join him there, who's to say?" Kakashi spoke, sadness showing itself in his eyes.

That evening, Team Seven stood atop one of the hills, gazing out at the wide expanse of the sea. Haku and Zabuza's graves stood in front of them, the latter's sword marking their final resting place. The sun lay low on the horizon, casting a beautiful light upon the shimmering waters below. "Is that really it, Kakashi Sensei?" Sakura's subdued voice broke the tranquil muteness. "Is that the ninja way? To use and be used by people, like tools?" She asked dejectedly. "Shinobi are all merely tools in the hands of destiny, no point in wondering whether it's right or wrong, it just is. It's the same in the Village Hidden in the Leaves." Kakashi explained in a low, quiet voice. "Well if you ask me, if that's what being a ninja is all about, something's out of whack," Naruto turned his head to say. "So does that mean that the moment we become a ninja is the moment that we throw away our lives?" Mayumi murmured.

"Is that why we go throughout all of this training, just to end up like them?" Naruto continued. "What is the reason for that?" Sasuke added in his own question. Kakashi sighed defeatedly before answering, "well, it's a question without an answer. And that is something we ninja have to deal with every day of our lives, like Zabuza and the kid."

"Okay, I've just come to a decision, from now on, I'm finding my own ninja way! A way that's straight and true and without any regrets! From now on, I'm following the way of Naruto!" Naruto yelled enthusiastically, causing Kakashi's only visible eye to crinkle with amusement. "Lets head back," Kakashi began to make his way down the hill, his students following behind. Now this, had been a proper mission!

The next morning, Squad Seven stood in front of the bridge, biding goodbye to the villagers. "We couldn't ever have finished the bridge without you, I can't tell you how much we're going to miss you," Tazuna spoke sincerely as he smiled. "Do be careful," Tsunami added, a smile of her own adorning her features.

"Thank-you for everything," Kakashi said gratefully as he also smiled underneath his mask. "Now, now, don't get all choked up, we'll come back and visit real soon!" Naruto exclaimed happily.

"You swear you will?" Inari asked as he tried to hold back tears.

"Of course." Now Naruto was also holding back his own tears. "You know, Inari, it's alright to cry if you want, there's nothing wrong with that, go for it."

"Who says I wanna cry! Anyway, if there's nothing wrong with it, then why don't you go on and cry?" Inari managed a somewhat lopsided grin as he said that. "No, you first," Naruto's voice was very strained. "Forget it!" The orange-clad ninja turned around as tears streamed down his face in floods. Inari's face was a mirror image of Naruto's as they both cried. To Mayumi, the scene was very comical, causing her to give a small laugh. She then walked up to Inari and whispered an apology in his ear. Surprised by her actions, Inari paused his crying to look up at her. More tears filled his eyes and he resumed his crying as Mayumi walked back to her team.

Eventually, they set off down the brand-new bridge, chatting cheerfully as they walked. "As soon as we get back, I'm gonna let Iruka Sensei fix me up a whole mess of Ramen to celebrate a mission accomplished! Oh, and just wait 'till I tell Konohamaru about all of my adventures, the kid's gonna worship me!" Naruto exclaimed merrily. "Hey," Sakura began.

"Yeah?" Naruto asked, turning to face her.

"Not you, Naruto. Sasuke, when we get back, do you want to go out and do something together?" Sakura asked eagerly as she looked at her teammate. "I don't think so, thanks." Was Sasuke's deadpanned answer.

"Oh, okay." Sakura's voice had dropped from it's cheery tone.

"Sakura, I'll do something with you if you want," Naruto offered, trying to cheer her up. "What?! Hey, that was a private conversation, beat it!" She yelled while shaking her blonde squad-mate by the shoulders violently.

Meanwhile, Mayumi peered over at Sasuke curiously._ 'I wonder if he remembers his 'last words' from the battle?'_ She thought. _'Maybe I'll ask him what he meant when we get back, that is, if he even remembers what he said, of course.' _

Seagulls called from the skies and the currently gentle sea swirled around beneath them. The sun was as bright as their mood as it shone down on them from it's place in the sky. The air whirled around them in the form of a pleasant breeze, gently weaving through them. "I really can't wait for our next mission!" Naruto yelled out what the rest of his team had been thinking, for they too, really couldn't wait either.


End file.
